Revenge
by Mindlessspn
Summary: Castiel Novak is a senior in college. After going through a traumatizing event the year before, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Dean Winchester is a sophomore in college determined to discover Cas' secrets. What happens when reality starts to slip away and secrets come out?
1. Chapter 1

**Revenge**

Cas slipped on his black ski mask then pulled his black hoodie over his head. He stood outside the fraternity that held Michael Milton inside of it. If his research was correct then that meant that he was in the large house alone.

Cas climbed up the side of the house using the vines that were entangled along the side. He reached the window sill then silently slid it open. He climbed in with ease and scanned the hallway before shutting the window.

He spotted a door that was cracked open slightly. The light from the room poured into the hallway. Cas quietly crept along the wall and looked into the room.

Michael sat at his desk with his laptop open in front of him. He had large headphones covering his ears as his head bobbed along to whatever music he was listening to.

Cas smirked to himself at the guys idiocy then closed the door softly. Michael still didn't turn around. Cas walked calmly up to him before grabbing a fistful of the back of his hair and slamming his head onto the keyboard.

Michael cried out then ripped his headphones off his head. He turned around with an already bloody nose to face Cas. "Wha- Who are you?" he stuttered out in confusion.

Cas didn't answer and instead picked him up by the collar of his shirt. He stood him to his feet before kicking him swiftly in the stomach. Michael groaned and fell backwards into the wall. He slid down slowly and looked up at Cas with horrified eyes.

Cas knelt down to face him. His eyes shined angrily at the frightened boy. He pulled out a crumbled up picture of a girl their age. She had bright blonde hair and was smiling widely in the photo. Cas unfolded it with ease then held it up for Michael to see.

"Who is this?," he questioned him in a gruff voice so he couldn't recognize him.

Michaels eyes flickered to the photograph before going pale. He looked back at Cas and shook his head firmly. "I- I don't know," he lied.

Cas brought his hand up and quickly brought it back down across Michaels face. Tears pooled in his eyes. "What's her name?!," Cas yelled. He didn't want to lose his cool but this guy was making it difficult for him not to.

A tear slipped down Michaels reddened cheek. "J- Jo. Her name is Jo," he replied finally.

"Well, look at that. He does learn," Cas said in a snarky tone.

Michael dropped his head to his chest in shame. Cas frowned then roughly pulled his chin to look up at him. "Don't hide now. You didn't care when Jo hid," he spat at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about!," Michael lied again.

Cas shook his head then raised his fist again. Michael flinched and closed his eyes. "Do you want me to hit you?," Cas asked him rhetorically. He already knew what the answer would be.

"No," Michael whispered. Cas swiftly connected his fist with Michaels right eye. Michael cried out in pain.

"I'm sorry. I thought no meant yes. My mistake," he falsely apologized.

"It wasn't a mistake!," Michael screamed at him as his hand covered his now swollen and bruised eye.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Cas said darkly before grabbing his hair again and slamming his head into the wall.

"I won't do it again. I won't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Michael pleaded with him.

Cas tilted his head and squinted his eyes at the injured boy. He stood up when he decided that Michael had received the message. He pulled out his pocket knife before stabbing it through Michaels thigh.

Michael screamed louder as his hands immediately went to the knife still in his leg. Cas walked over to the window in the corner of the room and pulled it open while ignoring the deafening screaming.

He turned back around and tossed him his cell phone off of his desk. It landed next to Michael with a heavy thud. "Call campus police. Tell them you've been robbed," he instructed him.

Michael grit his teeth but nodded in agreement. Cas smiled under his mask with satisfaction. "And if you ever touch anyone else without consent, I will be back," he promised. His eyes shined dangerously.

Michael nodded again and Cas knew he would listen to him. He slipped out the window with ease and climbed down the side of the house. He could already hear the sirens of approaching patrol cars.

He tore his hood off his head followed by his suffocating ski mask. He picked up his backpack that he intentionally left by the bushes. His dark hair swayed in the night wind as he shoved the hoodie and ski mask into his backpack.

He jogged around the house then found himself back at his own fraternity house five minutes later. He slipped through the back door and quietly closed the door behind him.

"Cas?," his best friends voice sounded from the living room.

Cas looked down at his hand and was pleased to see that his hits didn't leave him with any bruising. He walked into the living room and shot Gabriel as false smile.

"Hey, Gabe. What's going on?," he asked him as he gestured to all the kegs and beer boxes filling up their living room.

"Dude! Tomorrows Hell Week. You know, new pledges and all that," he replied as if he couldn't believe that Cas had forgotten his favorite week of the year.

"Already?," Cas asked with disinterest. He inched for the stair case and hoped that Gabe was almost done talking to him.

"Yes, Castiel. What happened to you, man? Hell Week used to be your favorite," Gabe said loudly.

"Used to," Cas pointed out to him. His mind flashed with unwanted images from the last Hell Week. Suddenly, he felt the desperate ache to shower off all his memories that were burned into his skin.

"Ah, don't be like that. You go get some sleep and be up bright and early to show these sophomores a thing or two," Gabe said with a wicked smile.

Cas chuckled humorlessly then walked up the stairs to his room. He passed a few of his frat brothers along the way but made an effort not to look at them.

He slipped into his room and shut the door. Then, he threw his bag by his bed before sliding down the wall. He placed his head in his hands and sobbed quietly. This had become routine ever since that night.

He didn't ask for it. No one ever did. He told him no but it fell on deaf ears. Cas clawed at his skin. One year later, and he still felt dirty. He felt undignified, impure, ruined and unloved. He forgot what it was like to feel normal. God, he wanted to feel normal again.

XXX

"Alpha Sigma Phi! Alpha Sigma Phi!," the frat brothers chanted loudly as they all stood on their oversized porch.

Thirty or so pledges looked up at them with wide, frightened eyes. They stood on the lawn before him both nervous and terrified of what was to come.

Cas stood next to Gabriel with his hands crossed behind his back and his chest sticking out. They stopped chanting and Raphael, the fraternity's president, took over to welcome the pledges.

Gabe leaned in to whisper into Cas' ear. "Did you hear about Michael Milton of Beta?"

Cas balled his hand into a fist but shook his head innocently. "No," he whispered back.

"Dude was robbed and beaten up pretty badly. They stuck a knife in his leg. Can you believe that?," Gabe asked incredulously.

Cas smirked but Gabe didn't notice. "That sucks," he commented halfheartedly.

Gabe nodded then turned his attention back to the lawn. Cas did the same. His eyes scanned through all the fresh faces. His gaze stopped on a boy staring back at him with an open mouth.

Cas felt his heart rate speed up as he looked into striking green eyes. The boy was tall and lean. He had muscle definition unlike any underclassmen he had seen before. His face was scattered in freckles and a blush was settled across his cheeks. He looked away from Cas when he realized Cas was staring back.

Cas swallowed down the lump in his throat. He hadn't felt so attracted to someone in over a year. His eyes wandered away from him but somehow kept finding its way back to the pledge.

He was looking at him again. This time, a little less shocked and a little more intensely. Like he was trying to read him. Cas felt exposed as he looked away.

He looked down at his wrist that held the Alpha Sigma Phi bracelet he received his sophomore year. It was a thick brown string wrapped around a thick black string. The frats symbol dangled below. He rubbed his thumb across the bracelet and felt relieved when his heart rate slowed down.

"Okay, brothers. Who wants first pick of their group?," Raphael asked them as the introduction came to a close.

Cas widened his eyes and looked at green eyes quickly. He needed to pick him before someone else did. He walked to the front of the line and cut in front of a few of his friends.

"Castiel," Raphael said with a wide smile. "I didn't expect you to want to join in with us."

Cas shrugged lightly. "It's Hell Week. My favorite," he answered him with a casual smile.

Raphael patted him on the back while nodding. He was probably just happy that Cas was actually participating in something for the first time in a long time. "Take your pick," he said while gesturing to all the awaiting pledges.

Cas stood with his arms crossed across his chest. He scanned the crowd even though he knew exactly who he wanted. His eyes landed on the brown-haired boy again. His was looking at him with hope and a mix of anxiety.

Cas raised his arm and pointed directly at him. "You. You're on my team," he said loudly enough for him to hear. Green eyes looked shocked as he pointed a finger at his chest in a silent question.

Cas smiled and nodded. He walked down the steps of the porch to meet the new pledge. "Hey. I'm Cas or Castiel. Welcome to Alpha Sigma Phi," he greeted the boy as he held his hand out for him to shake.

The pledge shook his hand firmly but gave him a shy smile. "I'm Dean. Dean Winchester."

He liked having a name to his face. "Dean," he said back, liking the way his name felt on his tongue.

They lingered on the handshake for a few moments longer than necessary before Cas had to finish picking out his group. He greeted each one of them but already forgot their names by the time he walked up the porch again.

Everyone's except for Deans. That name would be stuck with him for a while. He stood next to Gabriel and shook his head when he made some crude comment on what they should make the pledges go through this week.

No matter how hard he tried, his gaze kept drifting back to Dean. And every single time Deans eyes were always on his. He smiled confidently at him and chuckled to himself when Deans eyebrows shot up in surprise.

So maybe Hell Week wasn't going to be all that bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Weak point**

Cas sat at a bench in the middle of campus. He clutched his hot coffee in one hand and scrolled through his phone with the other. It was a nice day out and later on he'd be starting his pledges initiations.

"Cas?," a faintly familiar voice sounded in front of him.

He looked up to see Dean standing in front of him with bookbag slung over one shoulder casually. Cas smiled brightly. "Dean. What are you doing?," he asked him.

"I just got out of class so I was about to head back to my dorm," he answered.

Cas patted the seat next to him. Dean eyed it suspiciously before sitting down anyways. Cas laughed then pocketed his cell phone. "Relax. Hell week hasn't officially began so I'm not going to do anything to you. For now," he said with a smirk.

Dean laughed nervously as he slid his hands down his legs. "The dorms must suck. I remember having to live there, too," Cas commented when Dean didn't say anything.

Dean nodded. "Yeah well, hopefully I can make it through this week without wussing out then you'll be looking at your new roommate," he said with a smile to match Cas'.

"You'll do fine. We're not like other frats," Cas told him confidently.

"Yeah. I heard Beta is really tough on their pledges," Dean commented as he crossed his legs on the bench.

Cas stared off into the distance as he nodded slowly. He tried not to remember finding himself at Betas party the year before. The night everything changed.

"Cas?," Deans voice broke him out of his wary thoughts before they could get any further.

"Hm?," Cas hummed as he looked over at Dean.

"You kind of spaced out there for a second. Long night?," he asked in a concerned tone.

"Uh, yeah. You could say that," he answered him.

"Well, hopefully you're not too rough with me," Dean said with a shy smirk.

Cas' heart accelerated. Was he flirting with him? He swallowed nervously then pulled his phone out of his pocket. He saw a few text messages from Gabriel but also noticed that he was going to be late to his meeting soon.

He stood up abruptly and offered Dean an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I have a, uh, a thing I need to get to."

Dean nodded as his eyes flickered down to the ground. "Yeah. Okay. I'll just see you later tonight."

Cas ran his hand through his hair. "Sure. I promise not to be too rough with you," he said with a small smile.

Dean looked back up and smiled back. He gave Cas a small wave and Cas gave him one back. He walked away while sighing internally. He couldn't like someone. Not yet. He wasn't ready for that.

His shoulder crashed into someone else's when he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. "Watch where you're going," the annoyed voice told him.

Cas looked behind him to see Michael Milton. His breath hitched as his eyes shot down. "Sorry, Novak. I didn't realize it was you," Michael apologized.

Cas nodded as he turned back around and walked back in the direction he came from. He stopped a few feet away before turning his head around. Michael wasn't too far from where he bumped into him. He was limping in the opposite direction and getting looks of sympathy from others.

He rolled his eyes and kept walking until he reached the small building on the other side of the campus. He took a few looks around to see if anyone was watching before he walked in.

He walked into the dull white room and quickly took an empty seat away from everyone else. Jo Harvelle sat a few seats away from him. She looked different this week. Her eyes were brighter and she was smiling. Actually smiling.

"Castiel?," Jody, the coordinators, voice called out to him. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Castiel. You've been coming here every week for a year now and you still have never said a word. Would you like to speak today? I can't help you unless you want to be helped," she said softly.

Cas could feel the burning sensation of all eyes on him. He hated the attention being on him. He shook his head firmly then sank into his seat. He wished he could be invisible at this moment.

Jody tightened her lips but nodded in acceptance. "Anyone else want to speak? Jo? You seem happy today," she pointed out.

Jo bit her lip but nodded after a few minutes. "Something happened," she started.

Jody raised an eyebrow in surprise but gestured for her to continue. Jo tucked a strand of blonde behind her ear then sighed softly. "M- My rapist was found beaten up and robbed last night," she told the group.

A few gasps were shared throughout the circle. "And how do you feel about that?," Jody asked her as her eyebrows creased together with concern.

"Is it wrong to say that I feel relieved?," she asked in a small voice. Cas looked over at her. He wasn't expecting that reaction from her. Maybe it's a good reaction.

"Not at all. What about it makes you feel relieved?," Jody questioned her.

"I feel relieved that he won't have any more victims. Well, at least not for a while. He was stabbed in the leg and when I found out, I- I laughed. I smiled. I felt like myself for the first time in months," she answered honestly.

Jody nodded along as she spoke. A small smile pulled at Cas' lips. It felt good to know that what he did actually helped Jo. He didn't feel an ounce of guilt towards Michael.

The group was silent once more. Cas looked up at Jody who was currently scanning the circle for anyone else who wanted to speak. "Well, if no one else has anything else they want to share then I suppose group is over for this week," she announced.

Everyone started to collect their things before a small voice spoke up. "I was raped." Cas looked over at a petite girl with dark brown hair and wide brown eyes.

Jody said nothing and waited for the girl to continue. "I went to the campus bar with some of my friends and there was this guy there. Ezekiel. I still remember his name. And I- I don't know. I guess at some point he drugged my drink. And the last thing I can remember is him walking me out of the bar. Then I woke up half naked in the middle of campus," she said in an uneven voice.

Cas frowned and tightened his fist as her words sunk in. "Did you report the crime, Meg?," Jody asked the girl as she touched her leg lightly.

Meg nodded as a stray tear slipped down her cheek. "They didn't believe me. He's in a fraternity and his parents donate to the school. They didn't believe me," she whispered harshly.

Jody wrapped her arm around the thin girls shoulder. "Just remember that every day it will get a little easier. Every day you will get a little stronger. You just have to keep going," she told her before looking out at the rest of the group. "That goes for all of you."

Cas stood up quickly and rushed out of the room. He felt like he was suffocating in that small room. He ran out into the fresh evening air and caught his breath.

He leaned against the cool brick wall and closed his eyes. What bullshit. It doesn't get easier. Every day is a struggle. A struggle to enjoy being in the skin he's in. It's a struggle to look anyone in the eye or even laugh anymore.

He shook his head to himself then walked in the direction of his frat house. His mind raced with all the Ezekiel's he might've known but he only came up blank. It wasn't an exactly common name but he knew most of the fraternity's and their members on campus.

He arrived at the house a few minutes later. Most of the pledges were already there and helping carry out all the beer and tables to the front lawn. He dodged a few of them and attempted to keep his head down so he wouldn't be asked to do anything.

A hand grabbed onto his forearm tightly and he felt his skin begin to burn under the touch. He pulled quickly away from whoever had grabbed him.

"Easy, dude! It's me. Where have you been? Night ones about to begin," Gabe said as he held his hands up defensively.

"You know I have study groups on Mondays," Cas lied. He had been lying to his best friend for over a year now. It hurt that he couldn't exactly tell him that he goes to rape survivors counseling every week.

Gabe eyed him suspiciously but decided to drop it. "Ah, that's right. Well, hurry up and get dressed. Your group of pledges look lost right now."

Cas nodded and practically ran upstairs to his room. He shut and locked the door quickly before sitting down at his desk. He opened his laptop up and typed in Ezekiel's name.

After a couple minutes of checking all social medias, he finally had enough information on Megs attacker. A knock at his door sounded just as he finished writing down an address.

"Yeah?," he asked loudly to whoever was on the other side of the door.

"It's me. Dean. Uh, Gabriel said to come check on you and tell you to get your ass down here," he said awkwardly.

Cas smiled while digging through his closet for something new to wear. He took off his shirt before slipping on his frats shirt that he got a few months ago. He pulled on a tight pair of jeans then slipped on his favorite pair of white vans.

He checked his hair in the mirror hastily before deciding that his hair wasn't going to be maintainable tonight. He swung open the door to see Dean still standing on the other side. He had a slight blush on his neck as his eyes drifted down Cas' body.

"Well?," Cas asked him a bit annoyed that he wouldn't move or say anything.

"Oh. I- I'm sorry," Dean stuttered as he practically ran down the hallway to get away from Cas.

Cas felt a surge of guilt rip through him. He hadn't mean to be so rude to the guy but he also didn't want to catch unwanted feelings anytime soon.

Cas walked slowly down the staircase and followed a group of people out the front door. The party was already beginning and Cas still had no idea what he was supposed to be making his pledges do.

"Gabe? What's going on?," Cas asked his friend who had already seemed to misplaced his shirt before the evening even began.

Gabe laughed loudly before handing Cas a red cup full of beer. Cas looked down at it with a twisted stomach but smiled weakly. Gabe slung an arm over his shoulder and walked him over to the group of pledges.

"Looks like we're going to have some slaves for the night," Gabe said with another drunken chuckle.

Cas furrowed his brow. "What? We've never done that before," Cas pointed out.

"Yeah, well, Raphael stole the idea from another frat. They work their pledges in shifts to be their slaves all throughout the week. Imagine it. We don't have to carry our own backpacks, get our own coffee and they can even rub our feet," he said with excitement.

Cas slung Gabe's arm off of him and shook his head. "I don't like the sound of that. I don't like to be crowded."

"Well, get used to it cause it looks like pretty boy over there is working the first shift," he said with a devious smirk.

Cas looked over at Dean who was sipping out of a cup of his own. Maybe he could slip away when no one noticed or was too drunk to care to go find Ezekiel. He needed to let off some steam.

Dean caught his eye and slowly put his cup down on a nearby table. He sauntered over to Cas. "I guess you heard the first game of the week," he said a little shyly.

Cas nodded as he ran a hand through his hair. His frat bracelet must've caught Deans eye. Dean reached out and gently grabbed Cas' wrist to get a better look. Cas flinched while expecting the burning sensation to take over his body whenever someone touched him but he felt nothing. Only the sensation of skin on skin.

"It's the classic Alpha Sigma Phi bracelet. Everyone gets one after your initiated," Cas explained.

Dean nodded as he continued to study it. "C. N?," he asked him with a raise of his brow.

"My initials. Castiel Novak," he replied.

"Oh, cool," Dean said and all too soon released his wrist. Cas frowned when his touch went away but tried not to think too hard about it.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you in your room earlier. I didn't mean to or anything. It's just when a brother tells you to do something that you kind of have to do it," Dean apologized.

Cas waved him off. "Don't listen to Gabe. He just likes to get under people's skin. And you don't have to listen to any brother here except for me."

Dean chuckled and flashed him his perfect teeth. Cas offered him a small smile in return. "Novak," that familiar voice that he heard earlier said from the right of him.

He turned around to see Michael and two other guys that definitely weren't apart of Alpha walking with him. "We need to talk."


	3. Chapter 3

**No justice**

Cas looked at Dean who tilted his head in confusion. His eyes. He needed to hide his eyes before he even thought about looking at Michael. He panicked and looked another pledge who was drinking out of a beer bottle next to them. His sunglasses were tucked in the neck of his t shirt.

Cas grabbed the glasses quickly before placing them over his eyes. "Sorry. Pledges can't ask questions," he told the guy unapologetically when he started to protest.

He turned back to Michael and the other two guys who were helping hold him upright. "Hey, Milton. What are you doing at an Alpha party?," he asked them in a higher pitched voice than he usually spoke in.

"Sunglasses at night? You've officially reached that level of frat boy douchery," Michael commented, earning a chuckle from the two guys he had in tow.

"I know. I'm barely catching up to you," he shot back. Dean snickered behind him and Cas wanted to smile but he stopped himself.

Michael shot Dean a dirty look. Cas took a step in front of Dean in an effort to hide him from the older boys. He knew how ruthless they could get and he wasn't going to let them do that to him.

"This is Zachariah and Ezekiel. They're new to Beta. Thought we'd come by and check out the party. It's the only one on the block tonight," Michael said.

Cas felt like his heart stopped in his chest. "Sorry, I hate forgetting names," he held out his hand for the blonde to shake. "Which one are you?," he said in a false friendly tone.

"Zach," the boy answered.

Cas pulled his hand away before he could shake it. He didn't need to feel his touch on him either. He felt like he was turning in slow motion as he looked Ezekiel up and down.

The guy was bigger than him, taller than him and looked like he could easily lift three hundred pounds. "Ezekiel," he said with disdain while staring at him.

The boy shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. "Well, we better get going," Michael finally said. Cas turned towards him and could hear the audible sigh of relief that Ezekiel let out.

"Dude, that's a nasty bruise," Cas commented while pointing at the yellowish purple bruise underneath Michaels eye.

"Shut up," Michael said back before walking away with his own frat brothers.

Cas waited until he saw Michael reach Raphael before he turned back to Dean. Dean had an odd look on his face as if he didn't know what to think.

"What?," Cas asked rhetorically as he took off the sunglasses.

"That was some pissing contest. Is that what I can look forward to?," Dean questioned him with a small smile.

Cas chuckled then pinned the sunglasses into the collar of his shirt. Gabe popped back up quickly. "Bro, why aren't you drinking? You're going to want to be drunk if you expect to make it through the night."

"Let's chug together," Cas suggested, causing Gabe's eyes to light up with excitement.

Gabe and Cas clinked their plastic cups together. Gabe immediately put the cup to his lips and began to chug. Cas watched him for a second before tossing his beer over his shoulder. He placed the empty cup on his lips and brought it down at the same time Gabe did.

"Ah," he said dramatically. Gabe smiled then patted him on the back proudly.

Cas looked to his side where Dean was still standing. His brow was furrowed together and he was giving Cas a confused stare. Cas frowned but shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"Hey, who are those guys that Michael Milton's with?," Cas asked Gabe even though he already knew the answer. He just wanted more information from someone higher up in the brotherhood than him.

Gabe narrowed his eyes while scanning the crowd that seemed to be getting bigger by the minute. He spotted Michael still talking to Raphael. Ezekiel and Zach were still behind him as if they were his bodyguards.

Gabe's mouth opened as he recognized them. "Ah, that's Ezekiel and Zachariah. I think they just got initiated a few weeks ago during the summer."

Cas nodded. "So, they're Beta, too?," he questioned him casually.

"Mhm. Which means two more minions for Michael. But I gotta go check on my group. I'll see you later," Gabe told him as he grabbed a beer off a nearby table and sauntered away.

Cas looked back at Ezekiel who was now chatting with a girl in a sorority. His hand was resting casually on the side of the house as he leaned into her. She held a red cup in her hands but her body language seemed tense. Uncomfortable.

"Are you okay, Cas?," Dean asked him as he placed a hand on his forearm.

Cas tore his arm away from the simple touch and flinched. Dean gasped softly at Cas' actions. "I'm sorry. Will you excuse me?," he said as he started to walk in the direction of Ezekiel and the girl.

Dean appeared at his side halfway to them. "Sorry. I'm on first shift. I have to follow you," he said sounding sincerely sorry.

Cas bit his tongue and attempted not to roll his eyes. He knew it wasn't Deans fault. It was whoever's bright idea it was to have a pledge follow you 24/7. Pledges will do anything that they're told.

Cas put on his best fake smile as he finally approached the two of them. He could feel Dean at his side and prayed silently that he wouldn't make a comment.

"Hey! Ezekiel, right?," he asked the taller boy.

Ezekiel tore his eyes away from the girl and nodded in Cas' direction. He turned back to the girl who took the moment to take a step back. Ezekiel took a step forward and invaded the girls space once again.

Cas remembered Meg mentioning that he drugged her drink. He eyed the cup in the girls hand and felt his stomach twist. He swiftly grabbed the bottom of the cup before dumping it onto the girls shirt.

She gasped loudly as the liquid seeped into her shirt. "What the hell, man?!," Ezekiel said angrily.

Cas saw rage flash through his eyes and he immediately knew that he was dangerous. "I'm so sorry. I'm just clumsy. Why don't you go home and change," he suggested to the girl.

She looked between Cas and Ezekiel before nodding and walking away to go find her friends. Cas felt relief settle in his stomach as she got out of sight. Ezekiel pushed his shoulder roughly and Cas forced himself not to swing at him.

Cas tightened his fist as he looked Ezekiel in the eye. "Don't fucking touch me," he demanded as his demeanor changed.

He felt the way he did when his black mask and hood was on. He no longer felt like he was some frat boy at a party. He felt like it was just the two of them and the background faded away.

Ezekiel laughed darkly. "Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it?," he challenged him with a smug smile.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Cas replied. His mind rushed with ideas he could do to him.

Ezekiel raised his fist quickly. Cas reached up and grabbed his fist with one hand before it could connect to his face. He stared Ezekiel in the eyes as he twisted his hand swiftly.

He watched in satisfaction as his face twisted up in pain. He tightened his grip on his hand when Ezekiel tried desperately to pull away. Slowly, reality came back to him.

"Cas! Cas! You're hurting him!," Dean screamed as he pushed on his chest to get him to back up.

Cas looked into wild green eyes before he released Ezekiel's hand. He fell to the ground as he held onto his bruised hand. Cas frowned while walking away.

He opened the back door and walked into the empty house. "Cas! Where are you going? What was that?," Dean questioned him as he followed him up the stairs.

Cas ignored him but stopped in front of the door to his room. He turned around and looked at Dean coldly. "It was nothing. I'm fine. Just please leave me alone," he requested.

"You're not okay," Dean challenged him. Cas swallowed down the large lump that formed tightly in his throat. Dean stared at him intensely and it was like he could easily see right through him.

"Why do you care?," Cas questioned him. His eyes searched Deans looking for some kind of hint. His eyes were raw and full of emotion but he looked mostly worried.

"Because I- I like you," he admitted softly. He softly reached out and placed his hand on Cas' arm.

Cas looked down with confusion at the touch before pulling away. He couldn't deal with this right now. He had a rapist he needed to take down. He just couldn't do it.

"Just go, Dean. Please," he half begged him before slipping into his room and locking the door behind him.

He should still be downstairs and making the pledges do embarrassing things but he couldn't find it in him to care. After going through what he did, everything else just seemed so small. It felt like there was no point to anything anymore.

He opened the window across from his bed and sighed. The cool nights wind felt good on his suddenly hot face. He could see the party starting to die down little by little. He spotted Ezekiel look like he was about to leave as well.

Cas walked quickly over to his backpack that was still lying on the ground. He pulled out the black ski mask and pulled it over his head before doing the same with his black hoodie.

He slipped out of his white vans and exchanged them for plain black boots. He walked back over to the window and scanned the crowd. He saw Ezekiel with his arm firmly around a young girls waist. She was stumbling but he was managing to hold her up as they walked. She kept looking behind them but no one around had taken notice.

Cas tossed his backpack out of the window then waited until he was sure no one was looking before he jumped out of the window. His training taught him to use his shoulder to roll when he hit the ground. It was only a two story drop so the pain wasn't too bad.

He stood up slowly and brushed himself off. He picked his backup up before slinging it over his shoulder. He looked around one more time before following Ezekiel.

It was dark outside so thankfully he wasn't easy to spot. He was like a shadow was moving on its own. Cas caught up to them and was now only walking a few feet behind them.

"I need to go find my friends," the girl slurred as she attempted to push away from him.

Cas watched as Ezekiel tightened his grip on her. "Shh. We have plans," he whispered to her.

He proceeded to cover her mouth as they ducked into a back alley. Cas attempted to follow them before Ezekiel looked behind hi suspiciously. He quickly threw his back into the cold brick wall and closed his eyes.

He heard Ezekiel grunt then the sound of heavy footsteps walking further into the alley. He opened his eyes again but felt the heavy feeling of another pair of eyes on him. He scanned his surroundings hastily but didn't see another living soul.

He told himself he was just being paranoid. After all, this was only the second time he had ever attacked someone. He turned his head back to Ezekiel and his victim. He had both her wrists tightly in one hand as the other attempted to undress her. She squirmed under his hold but was too weak to get away.

Ezekiel's back was now towards him and Cas took this as an opportunity to make his move. He rushed towards him and kicked him sharply in his lower back. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees on the pavement.

The girl stumbled backwards and looked at him with wide eyes. Cas lowered his voice to make it deeper and darker. "Go! Now!," he yelled at her.

She nodded quickly before running away in the opposite direction. Ezekiel stood back up then faced Cas. He silently thanked himself for wearing sunglasses whenever he met him earlier in the night. His eyes were too distinct for anyone not to recognize him.

Ezekiel balled his fists up angrily and swung at Cas. Cas dodged him and connected his own fist with the bridge of his nose. Ezekiel cried out again as blood pooled out of his nose but he didn't back down.

He shoved Cas forcefully, almost making him lose his balance. Cas threw another swift punch but Ezekiel grabbed his wrist and started to twist his arm.

Cas watched as his bracelet ripped from his wrist which only made him angrier. He grunted while his leg swung upwards to kick Ezekiel right in the center of his groin.

He screamed this time and let go of Cas' wrist. He fell to his knees as his hands immediately went to cover his crotch. Cas took the chance to grab a fistful of his hair and proceed to give him blow after forceful blow.

"Hey!," Deans voice called out from the end of the alley. Cas' back was towards him and he listened as Dean sprinted over to them. Cas rolled his eyes but let go of Ezekiel. He kicked him swiftly in the abdomen, causing him to fall over in pain.

Cas looked over his shoulder as Dean was nearing closer to him. He turned back around and ran away at full speed. The end of the alley was blocked off by a wired fence. He stopped in front of it and began to silently panic. This was over before he could truly begin.

"Hey, stop! The police are on their way!," Dean shouted at him.

Cas bit his lip and eyed the dumpster next to the fence. He quickly jumped on top of it then grabbed the top of the fence. He pulled himself over it without ever having to stick his foot into any part of it.

He jumped over to the other side and landed neatly on his feet. Then, he kept running. He ran until he couldn't breathe anymore. His sides ached and his heart accelerated at top speeds.

He put down his backpack and placed his hoodie and ski mask inside of it before zipping it up. He tossed the bag back over his shoulder and began to calmly walk home. But something didn't feel right. Something was missing.

His hand felt his bare wrist that held his bracelet of comfort on it. Except, now it didn't. It was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't tell**

Cas stood in the alley that he only ran away from a few hours ago. He spent the entire morning worrying that the cops would pound down the door and take him away at any second.

He knew what he was doing was wrong. But there was no one that was going to help victims like himself. He had to be the one to protect them. He had to.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself when he couldn't find his missing bracelet anywhere. For all he knows, it could be in the cops possession already. He groaned loudly then started to walk back home.

And then there was Dean. Dean was there last night. He must've saw him. Of course, it was dark outside at the time but he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that Dean knew. That he could see right through him.

He walked slowly up the steps to the frat house and sighed. What was he going to do now? Wait until the cops showed up at his door and took him away? It sure looked that way right about now. He pushed the front door open then quietly closed it. If he was lucky, everyone would still be passed out.

"Well well well. Rough night?," Gabe immediately questioned him.

Cas ran his hand through his hair and forced back an eye roll. "No. Why would you say that?," he replied sarcastically as he pulled his jacket off of his shoulders.

Gabe had his arms crossed across his chest as he leaned against the wall. He was shirtless and looked as if he had been up all night. He walked across the living room while stepping over the multiple boys still sleeping. He rolled a pledge off of the couch with ease then took his spot.

The pledge continued to snore loudly even after he hit the hard floor. Cas frowned then sat down on the arm of the couch with his balled-up jacket still in his arms.

"So, where ya been?," Gabe asked him suspiciously. He picked up a beer can off of the floor and popped it open loudly before taking a sip.

Cas shrugged casually. "I needed some air so I went for a walk," he answered him. Well, it wasn't really a lie. He did go on a walk.

Gabe pursed his lips but nodded. He wanted to say something. He could tell.

"What is it, Gabe? I know you. You want to say something that you're afraid I'm not going to like. Just lay it on me," he said as he stared at his best friend.

Gabe sighed. "Dammit, Cas. What's been up with you this week? You're not yourself. You're not participating in any Hell Week events or making your pledges do anything embarrassing. You used to love this week," he admitted.

"Yeah. Used to. Don't you get that this is not all that's happening on this campus? There's stuff out there that's bigger than you or me. But, sure. Let's focus on bullshit like drinking or making an underclassman wear a dress," Cas snapped as he stood up quickly.

Gabe's jaw dropped slightly before he recollected himself. "Fine, Cas. But don't expect me to keep covering for you when Raphael asks me where you are."

Cas walked to the staircase and stopped at the bottom. "Just stay out of it," he said softly in defeat before walking up the stairs slowly. He heard Gabe throw his beer can across the room. He shook his head to himself until he arrived at his door.

He looked down at the floor as he pushed his bedroom door open and sauntered in. He tossed his jacket on his bed before kicking off his shoes. He looked up and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Dean sitting casually at his desk.

Cas clutched his chest and waited for his heartrate to slow back down. Dean raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "You know, for someone who beats people up at night, I expected you to be a little more suspecting," he commented.

Cas backed up into his wall slowly as Deans words registered with him. He quickly erased all the emotion from his face. "I- I have no idea what you're talking about. I went to bed early last night," he fibbed.

"I never said it was last night," Dean replied just as quick. He was caught.

"What are you getting at?," Cas asked as he folded his arms across his chest. He couldn't give up just like that. He had to stick his ground or else this was over before it ever began.

Dean frowned briefly as he reached into his pants pocket. He then pulled out his familiar fraternity bracelet and held it out in the palm of his hand.

Cas quickly placed his hands behind his back and shrugged. He wanted to run across the room and snatch it out of Deans hand but he also wanted to kiss him for not turning it into the police. Shit. Where was that coming from?

"Look familiar?," Dean asked him as he held it up higher.

Cas shook his head. "Uh, no. It's probably one of the brothers' bracelets. They're always losing everything but if you give it to me I'll make sure it goes back to them."

Dean glowered at him. "Who else has the initials C.N? Seems a little farfetched," he challenged him.

Cas looked down nervously at the bracelet still in Deans unwavering hand. His initials shined intimidatingly under his lamps light. He swallowed down all his emotions and thought of the first name that he could. "Casey Negan. That guy is the worst. So, like I said, if you just give it to me, I will make sure he gets it," he lied.

Dean wrapped his hand around the bracelet the tucked it back into his pocket. He looked almost hurt as he thought over his next words. "Why are you lying to me, Cas? I know what you are. I know what you do."

"No, you don't, Dean. You don't know anything about me," Cas shot back. His chest was bubbling up in anger and now all he wanted to do was research his next victim.

"You're hurt. Something or someone came along and hurt you so now you feel the need to hurt others. Am I wrong?," he asked genuinely as he took a step closer.

Cas held out his hand to stop him from coming any closer. "Don't," he said as his voice cracked.

Dean stopped in his tracks as his frown deepened. "Fine, Cas. I'll leave," he replied after a few seconds of looking Cas over.

Cas said nothing as Dean walked around him and opened the door. He stepped out into the hall and began to walk away.

Cas quickly stepped over to the door and walked into the hallway. "Dean, wait!," he called out to him.

Deans hand rested on the banister to the stairs as he looked back in Cas' direction.

Cas bit his lip before sighing. "Look, just please don't- don't tell anyone," he said desperately.

Dean looked down at the floor as he reached back into his pocket. He tossed the bracelet over to Cas.

Cas caught it swiftly while frowning. He wanted to say something. Anything to Dean. He wanted to explain himself but he knew he couldn't. He just wouldn't understand.

Dean waited for him to speak and shook his head when his hopes never came. "Don't worry. I won't," he replied honestly before turning his back on him once again and walking down the stairs.

Cas opened his hand and looked down at the bracelet that suddenly felt so small in his hand. He should be happy. Having this back in his possession only meant that he was safe again. But now Deans gone.

He closed his fist again before slipping back into his room. He shut the door then tossed his bracelet onto his bedside table. He didn't need that falling off again and causing more trouble for himself.

He then tossed himself onto his messy bed and stared up at the ceiling. What the fuck was he going to do?

XXX

"Okay guys, your five-page essay is due next Thursday. Try to have some fun with it and please get it on time," Cas' professor droned on from the front of the room. Cas rolled his eyes and looked down at his blank notebook paper.

"I know it's your last year of college before the real world and it's going to hit you guys hard so enjoy your last year but remember to do your work. You may leave now," his professor dismissed them.

Cas quickly shoved his empty notebook into his back pack then threw it over his shoulder. Everyone rushed past him with relief to be let go from the dreaded class. Cas kept his head down as he walked behind everyone and past his professor.

"Castiel? May I speak with you for a moment?," his professor pulled him aside before he could protest any further.

"Actually, I have somewhere I really need to be right now so," he replied halfheartedly in an attempt to brush him off.

His professors hand shot down onto the desk, causing his arm to block Cas' path. Cas looked down before forcing his face into a tight smile and looking back up. "Yes?," he said in a false friendly tone.

"I hate to put this so bluntly, but you're failing, Castiel. And your parent's money isn't going to help you this time," he said without hesitation.

Cas nodded along. He knew already. Of course, he knew. He stopped doing his work months ago, and was barely getting by only because his parents were alumni and donating very large sums of money to the school.

"Now, I need to see improvement in you or else I have no choice but to drop you from this class which will ultimately flunk you out of University. I don't want to do that so please don't make me. All you have is one more year to go and you've come so far. Please, be smart about what you're doing," his professor pleaded with him.

Cas nodded again and stared at the other man blankly. His words felt like they were going in one ear and swiftly out of the other. Everything has been a blur since that night so nothing matters anymore. Nothing except for revenge.

"Can I go now?," he asked in monotone.

His professor pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed heavily. He waved his hand at the open door. Cas walked past him hastily ad let go of the breath he had been unaware he was holding the entire time he was in there.

He leaned himself against the cool wall in the hallway and sighed. Everything was just going from bad to worse for him now. He looked up at the television that was mounted above him. It usually only displayed school announcements or showed the local news but this was something else.

He took a step closer to get a better look at the screen and felt his heart drop. "Local football legend, Benny Lafitte, has been acquitted on all counts of rape. He was accused earlier this year by multiple college women. The apparent evidence did not hold up in court today and Lafitte is now free of all slander and charges," the anchorman announced as a photo of Benny appeared over his shoulder.

The screen flashed to a scene in front of the local courthouse. Benny held his head high as cameras flashed in front of his face and microphones were shoved at him. "Benny! What can you tell us about the accusations made against you? And how do you feel now that you've won and the charges have been dropped?," a reporter asked him with excitement to be the first one to interview him.

Benny stopped walking and looked over into the camera. "Those bitches in there got what was coming to them. You don't mess with Benny Lafitte. They wanted it and they wanted me. All they wanted now was a little attention," he said with pride. His face was beaming in an ear-splitting grin.

Cas felt his body shake slightly as an unsettling chill shot through his spine and his blood run cold. The camera slowly zoomed in on three girls walking out of the courthouse together. Their heads were down low as their hands covered their faces. He watched in disgust as reporters swarmed them to no doubt question them and accuse them of lying but he knew the truth.

After all, Benny was there that night. He's best friends with Balthazar and he's the one that locked him in the room with him. The camera slowly panned back to Benny's smiling face. He knew he won.

"I'm coming for you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Ride along**

Cas lifted the pair of binoculars he kept in his backpack up to his face. He was crouched behind bushes a few feet across from the mechanic shop that Benny worked in.

The garage door was open wide as Benny worked over the hood of an open car. Heavy rock music blared from a speaker on a shelf high on the wall. He was alone.

A twig a few feet behind him snapped loudly causing him to drop his binoculars and turn around quickly. He squinted his eyes to see better in the dark. The trees swayed slightly from the night air but showed no other signs of life.

He turned his back to Benny and watched as he pulled the garage door down only leaving it less than halfway open. Now was his chance to make his move now that his garage was private. The plan was to go in, maybe throw him around a bit, warn him not to do it again then go home. No harm and no foul. Just plain and simple.

He shoved his binoculars into his backpack before sliding the black ski mask down his face. He hid his backpack in the bushes then jogged over to the cracked garage door. Then, he got down onto his stomach to look inside.

Benny still had his back facing away from him. He was hunched over the car and oblivious to what was going on. Cas smiled to himself as he rolled into the garage. He swiftly got back onto his feet but stayed crouched down. He was now only a few feet away from Benny.

He quietly pulled out his pocket knife and opened it. His eyes darted from Benny still completely ignorant to him then back to the knife in his hand. He inched closer slowly before plunging the knife deep into Benny's ankle.

Benny fell onto his knees as he threw his head back screaming. Cas took the chance to pull the knife out and snap it shut. He dropped it into his back pocket then looked back down at Benny's twisted face.

"What the fuck!," he yelled in pain. He looked more angry than hurt which was a scary combination on the bigger man's face.

Cas tried not to dwell much further on it. He raised his foot up before bringing it back down to connect with Benny's chest. Benny reached out faster than Cas had expected and pulled him off of his feet and back down onto the hard floor with him.

Cas' head bounced off the floor loudly causing him to become delirious for a few moments. Benny took the opportunity to climb on top of him and wrap his heavy hands around his neck tightly.

Cas kicked from under him and attempted to pry his hands off of him but to no avail. Benny's grip was tighter and making him fade into black as each second passed by. This was it. He was going to die here on this cold hard ground.

He was about to slip away completely when the grip on him became nonexistent. He could faintly hear a loud thump next to him. His hand came up to his throat as he tried desperately to catch his breath. Cas slowly sat back up while he gasped for air. Slowly his breathing returned to normal and he could see properly again.

He turned to his side and was met with the horrific sight of Benny. Except, his hair was now patted down with blood and his stare was blank. Cas let out a scream as he jumped to his feet and looked around.

Dean stood in front of Benny's body with an oversized wrench in his hand. It was dripping in blood and was almost enough to make Cas throw up everything he had eaten that day. "Oh, God, Dean! What have you done?!," he cried out.

Deans mouth dropped open while he looked around for a place to put down the wrench. "Don't!," Cas yelled as his hand shot out to grab Deans wrist. "Don't make any more evidence," he instructed him.

Dean nodded slowly while the fear grew in his eyes. Cas pulled off the suffocating ski mask as tears began to well up in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Cas! Isn't this what you do?," Dean asked in fear and confusion.

"No!," Cas continued to yell while he grabbed onto the ends of his hair. "I've never done this before!," he said through the tears that were now freely flowing.

Deans eyes widened more before he turned around and vomited onto the ground. Okay. Now was the time to freak out. They had just killed someone. Well, he didn't but Dean did. And he was here with a bloody knife. Which made him an accessory to murder now. Yep. Now was definitely the time to start freaking out.

Dean wiped his mouth off as soon as he was done then started to take deep breaths. "Uh, okay. Okay. This is what we're going to do. We're going to wrap the body in the tents that cover cars. Then, we can toss it into my trunk. We can also bleach this entire place and wipe down everything we touched," he spoke hastily while waving the wrench above his head.

"Oh. Is that what we're going to do? We're going to just take a fucking dead body? And then what?," he questioned Dean.

"I don't know! Maybe we should just call the police," he suggested.

"No! No cops," Cas replied instantly. Dean stopped pacing in front of him and turned his head to look at Cas carefully. "Why no cops?," he asked him wearily.

"They won't help us. They won't understand, Dean. Let's just go with your plan," he said with a frown.

Dean looked at him for a few seconds more before nodding in agreement. "Okay. Let's do this."

XXX

Cas stared out the window and watched as the lights of the city blurred by. Dean cleared his throat next to him. "So, uh, should we play some music?," he asked awkwardly.

"Well, we just murdered someone and shoved him in the trunk of your car. So, you can see why I don't give a shit if music is playing or not," Cas snapped at him as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"You know what you need?," Dean asked him. Cas looked over at him with a raise of an unamused eyebrow. "You need a drink and I know the perfect place," he finished with a smile.

"No. I think I'm good," Cas replied. Dean shrugged to himself and continued to drive.

He reached over and turned on the radio to fill the uncomfortable silence. Papa Roach's 'Getting away with murder' rock song blared loudly through the classic cars speakers. Dean fumbled quickly with the knobs and turned it back off. "We, uh, just won't listen to anything," he mumbled.

"Great idea," Cas replied with sarcasm.

Dean tapped on the steering wheel uneasily as he pulled into a dimly lit buildings parking lot. "This? This is the place we're going to dump the body?," Cas asked him skeptically.

"Shh," Dean hushed him with a raise of his finger to his lips. "I'm not an expert or anything but I'm fairly sure that you can't say things like 'dump the body' or 'you murdered that guy'," he finished as he shot Cas a stern look.

Cas pursed his lips but nodded in agreement. Dean smiled at him before opening his car door. He slid out and leaned his head into the car. "I need a drink. You can keep him company but something tells me he's not a great conversationalist." He shut the door, leaving Cas alone in the car with a dead body. Benny's dead body to be exact.

He swung his door open quickly before jumping out of the car. Dean chuckled when Cas appeared next to him. He was pretty sure the color was still drained from his face. But Dean seemed to be taking everything surprisingly well.

"Two tequila shots," Dean informed the bartender as he held up two fingers.

"Uh, I don't drink," Cas told him as he rubbed the back of his neck with his sweaty palm.

"I didn't order you a drink," Dean replied back with a tight smile while he placed down a few bills onto the counter then took the shots in each hand.

Dean led them to a secluded booth in the back of the bar. A few college students were playing pool loud enough for them to have a conversation without anyone hearing them or eavesdropping.

Cas tapped nervously on the table as he looked everywhere but at Dean. He was still sure that this was all some sort of crazy dream and he'd wake up any second. Dean dropped the now empty shot glasses in front of him and sighed. "Cas, we need to talk," he started.

Cas nodded and finally let his eyes wander over to Dean. He was beginning to look troubled and scared. Maybe they were more alike than he thought. "Okay. Let's start with me asking you why in the hell you were following me to begin with," Cas questioned him.

Dean seemed to struggle with his words at Cas' question. Finally, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I want to help you. Well, I wanted to. I know what your, uh, nightly activity is so I followed you. And it turns out that you really did need my help," he answered him honestly.

"I would have been fine," Cas replied with an annoyed eye roll. He wouldn't admit to Dean how scared he was that he was going to die just an hour ago.

"No. You would've been dead," Dean shot back assertively.

Cas tightened his lips but said nothing because it was true. But he didn't want to give Dean the satisfaction in knowing that. He shouldn't have even been following him in the first place.

"So, what do we do next?," Dean asked him. He was more calm now but he was still on edge.

"There is no 'we', Dean. I work alone," he told him with no hesitation. He was already in too deep. There was no chance he was going to drag Dean along with him. He would just have to take the fall for the murder and turn himself in.

"Like batman," Dean replied with a small smile.

"I don't get that reference," Cas said humorlessly.

Dean shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Just tell me why you do what you do," he said shyly now, "please."

"There are people out there that are doing awful things and getting away with it. No one is doing anything to stop them. I'm trying to make it right," Cas answered him.

Dean leaned back further in his seat and nodded. "That's the plot of batman."

Cas furrowed his brow while he tilted his head at him. "I'm glad you find it so funny," he muttered before standing up to leave. Dean reached over quickly and grabbed onto his hand. Cas felt static shoot up his arm at the touch.

He pulled away from him but sat back down when Dean insisted that he was sorry and he would be serious this time. Cas sighed longingly. "So, what? You want to be my 'Robin'?," he said with finger quotes.

Deans face lit up. "You do know Batman! But obviously I wouldn't be Robin. He's a bitch. And I'm not a sidekick either. I'm simply a friend who wants to take down evil with you."

Cas rolled his eyes once more. "Yeah well look, Dean. Let's just figure out a game plan then go from there," he suggested.

Dean nodded and stood up from the booth with along with Cas. He rested his hand on his lower back and led him towards the door. "Where did you learn how to fight like a ninja?," Dean asked him with a dry chuckle.

Cas turned his head towards him and laughed along with him. "A what?," he asked Dean incredulously. He could feel all the heavy weight on his shoulders drifting away slowly with each laugh he let out.

"A ninja. Your skills are insane. You have to teach me," he said as he pushed the door open.

Cas shook his head at Dean and walked into the cool night with him. They both stopped laughing and stopped dead in their tracks. The impala was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Trouble**

"The cars gone. It's gone, Dean! What's going on? Was this some kind of set up?," Cas questioned him as he stepped towards him intimidatingly.

Dean raised his hands defensively while shaking his head quickly. "No, Cas. You have to believe me that I had nothing to do with this," he pleaded with him desperately.

Cas' shoulders dropped when he realized that Dean was telling the truth. "Fine. Let's just walk back towards campus. We can figure everything out along the way," he suggested.

Dean sighed but nodded in agreement. They took off down the long stretch of sidewalks that would eventually lead them to campus. Cas frowned but tried to take his mind off of the nights events and think about something else. Anything else.

"Why are you a pledge?," Cas asked him to fill the silence.

Dean shrugged nonchalantly. "Why were you?," he questioned him right back.

Cas shook his head as he chuckled warmly. "Oh no. I know what you're doing. You don't want to answer questions about yourself so you're redirecting them," he pointed out. Dean laughed and shrugged guiltily.

"So?," Cas asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

"So what?," Dean asked him right back.

"So, why did you decide to pledge?," Cas questioned him with exasperation.

"My little brother, Sam, made me actually. He said I needed to step away from my computer every once in a while and enjoy my college experience," he explained.

Cas nodded along. "Your computer? I didn't really take you for a computer geek," he said teasingly.

"Yeah, well, I didn't really take you for a campus vigilante but here we are," he shot back with a cheeky grin.

Cas rolled his eyes. He wasn't ready to explain himself. Not yet. "Did you follow me tonight?," he asked suddenly.

Dean looked away from him while shoving his hands into his pockets. "No. I didn't follow you, Cas," he answered honestly.

"Then how did you know where I was?," Cas continued to question him.

"Dude. You have an iPhone. Ever heard of Find my Friends?," Dean asked him rhetorically because of course Cas knew what it was.

Cas stopped abruptly and turned to face Dean. "Yes but I turned that setting off months ago," he replied suspiciously while cutting his eyes at him.

Dean looked up at the night sky to avoid Cas' curious and frustrated gaze. "Dean," Cas spoke sternly.

Deans eyes dropped back to Cas'. He smiled tightly at him to let him know he was listening. "How did you find me?," he asked again.

Dean sighed. "I guess you can say that I'm a 'hacker.' I got into your phone and found your location. Don't make a big deal out of it."

Cas' eyes widened as he thought about the intrusion. "You what?!," he shouted incredulously. "Dean, that is so intrusive. Do you do that all of the time?"

"It's actually more of a hobby. One that I am incredibly good at," he bragged with a slight shrug.

Cas furrowed his brow at him but a quick flash of headlights caught his eye. They both turned in time to watch as Deans car raced down the quiet street. Two boys stuck their heads out while cheering loudly. Deafening rock music blared throughout his speakers.

"Son of a bitch! My car!," Dean screamed out. He looked around frantically as he tried to figure out what to do next.

Cas took off running down the sidewalk with Dean closely at his heel. They got to the corner of the street where they could see the car turn down another street a few more blocks away. Cas scanned the are hastily until he spotted a couple riding down the sidewalk on their bikes.

He turned to Dean and looked at him conspiratorially. "I have an idea." Dean nodded along with whatever idea Cas was having. Cas leaned in and whispered his plan before taking off towards the couple.

Dean swallowed nervously but followed Cas anyways. He watched in horror as Cas pushed the boy off of his bike before jumping onto it. He turned around expecting Dean to do the same. "Hurry!," he shouted in a lower voice that Dean hadn't expected to come out of Cas' mouth.

He nodded weakly as he grabbed the handlebars to the woman's bike. "Uh, I'll return this," he said apologetically while she stepped off, stunned. She nodded slowly at him before kneeling down to help her boyfriend off the ground.

Dean jumped onto the abandoned bike while trying not to think about the nights events. He trailed Cas down the sidewalk while dodging a few passersby's. Cas could hear the heavy rock music getting louder as they got closer to the stolen car.

He peeled to a stop a few feet away from the now parked car as Dean did the same. The boys got out of the car while each held a beer bottle in their hands. Cas narrowed his eyes as he slowly realized what was going on.

He stepped off the bike and motioned for Dean to do the same. "Why are we not kicking their asses right now?," Dean questioned him while angrily watching the boys as they leaned against his hood.

Cas held a hand up to silence him while shaking his head. "Not everything needs to be reduced to violence or you know, murder."

Dean rolled his eyes dramatically. "Yeah, says the guy who just mugged two people of their bikes," he shot back.

Cas ignored him as his entire demeanor changed drastically. He crossed the street coolly while waving at the thieves. Dean frowned tightly but followed him anyways.

"Hey, guys," Cas greeted them in a false friendly manner.

The two boys glanced at each other, knowing they had been caught but smiled weakly at Cas. "Hey," they replied quietly.

"Who put you up to this?," Cas asked them as he took a menacing step closer.

"Um, Adam did. We had to. He said to steal any car we saw and go on a joy ride. We're sorry, Castiel," one of the boys answered while the other one looked down at the ground.

Cas nodded and drifted his eyes to the trunk of Deans car where Benny's body was still hidden. Hopefully. "Well, you tell Adam that I have seniority over him and I'm ordering the two of you to get the hell out of here," he demanded with a surprisingly even tone.

"And do what?," the pledge asked him desperately.

"Go jerk each other off. I don't care," Cas told them as he walked up to the car to inspect it.

The two boys looked at each other with wide eyes. "He's kidding," Dean quickly interrupted their scattered thinking. "I hope," he added. The pledges let out a deep sigh of relief before running away.

Dean appeared next to Cas besides the trunk as they looked at each other for comfort. Dean placed his key in the hole then turned it slowly. The trunk popped open with a slight creak as Benny's dead eyes stared back up at them.

Cas' breath hitched at the horrible sight but he couldn't find it in himself to feel sad for Benny. Actually, he didn't feel anything at all. Dean gagged before slamming the trunk shut once more.

They stood in silence for a few minutes until the weight of what they had done set in on them. "What are we going to do?," Dean finally asked him.

Cas ran a hand through his hair while he shook his head. "I- I don't know. We need to get rid of him," he stated with a slightly shaky voice.

Dean nodded. "Where?," he continued to question Cas for guidance. It was clear that they both had no idea what they were doing or the severity that was yet to come.

Cas frowned as he thought quickly about all the possibilities. It wasn't like Benny was small so a lot of options were simply out of the question. "I have an idea."

XXX

"I've got his legs. Make sure you do not drop him," Cas instructed Dean as they lifted the heavier boy out of the trunk. Dean nodded and did as he was told.

Cas guided them both around the large cemetery until they reached the far end away from any light. "You got the shovels?," Dean asked him after they gently set Benny down next to a fresh grave.

Cas opened his arm and dropped the shovels that he had tucked under it. "I find it a little odd that you so happened to have these in your trunk already," Cas pointed out while he bet over to pick one up.

"What? You think this is my first murder?," Dean asked him seriously as he spun the shovel around effortlessly in his hands.

Cas furrowed his brow and raised his shovel defensively before Dean busted out into laughter. "Dude. I'm kidding. They were my dad's. I just forgot they were in there."

Cas let out the breath he had been holding as he lowered his shovel. "Right. I knew that," he claimed while shoving it into the fresh dirt then making a new pile.

Dean shook his head at him while a small smile flickered across his lips. "Okay, so let me try to remember. We sawed off his fingertips, pulled out his teeth and stole his cellphone because why exactly?"

"Because we need to think of every scenario possible. Dentist records can identify his body if we left his teeth in and fingerprints are an obvious giveaway. I'm not sure what to do about the cellphone so I'm hoping you have a plan. Should we just destroy it?," Cas asked as the dirt pile grew larger.

Dean shook his head. "Not if we want to make it look like he's still alive," he suggested.

Cas raised his eyebrows at his suggestion. "You can do that?," he asked him in amazement.

Dean nodded simply. "It's not too hard. Just need a special cage for it then I can throw random coordinates to make it seem like he ran away. He did just have that big court case. Maybe it will look like the guilt was too much for him."

Cas smiled widely at Deans brilliant idea. "That's perfect, Dean," he said in awe.

Dean shrugged as if it was no big deal but still blushed at the way Cas was looking at him. He looked back down at the hole in the ground and felt himself get a little disappointed when their shovels hit the coffin.

They both dropped their shovels before picking Benny up off the ground and tossing him right on top of the coffin. They then silently went onto the task of recovering the grave with dirt. About halfway through, the faint sound of sirens filled the night air.

Dean looked at Cas with wide, frantic eyes. Police lights shined from all around them while footsteps ran towards their direction. It was over.


	7. Chapter 7

**Own way**

"Hey! Put it down right now!," a police officer's deep growl shouted.

Cas squatted to the ground while he pushed the remaining dirt into the grave. Dean watched him with scared eyes as his chest heaved up and down quickly. Cas pulled him down onto the ground when he was finished then ducked behind the oversized headstone.

Dean made low whimpering sounds as the footsteps got closer. Cas placed his hand over Deans mouth to muffle the sounds emanating from him. He could feel his hot breath pounding against his hand as he closed his eyes tightly.

The footsteps stopped a few feet away from the headstone. Cas prayed silently that they would turn around and go back. He could hear a rustling sound and laugher coming from somewhere in the distance. "Hey!," the cop called out as he ran to where the sound was coming from.

Cas glanced at Dean who looked just as confused as he was. He waited for another minute until he was positive that the cop was gone. He slowly lifted his hand off of Deans mouth then stood up.

He could barely make out the cop's flashlight waving around as he chased a few college boys. Obvious pledges. Cas sighed and let out a humorless chuckle as his heart rate returned to normal. "Fuck, I hate Hell Week," he declared.

Dean nodded in agreement. Cas brushed the dirt off his jeans before walking in the direction of Deans car. He could see the pledges being led away in handcuffs for trespassing most likely.

Dean caught up with him quickly but walked in silence until they reached the Impala. Dean popped the trunk open before taking the shovel from Cas and tossing it inside. Then, he turned to Cas expectantly with his eyebrows raised.

"So, what are we going to do now?," he asked him.

Cas frowned and glanced down at his watch to show that it was now four in the morning and the sun would be coming up soon. "Go home and put that cellphone in the magical cage you were talking about," he instructed him.

Dean nodded along. "Okay. And then what?," he continued.

Cas tilted his head at him. "And then nothing. You stay away from me and I'll stay away from you. We act like this night never happened and we go our own ways."

Dean looked deflated as he realized what Cas was saying. "So, that's it? We just walk away and pretend nothing happened?," he asked with a hitch in his voice.

Cas adverted his eyes to the ground but nodded. "Yes," he confirmed.

Dean slammed the trunk harshly, causing Cas to flinch. "Fine," Dean said coldly before walking off to get into the car.

Cas sighed softly but followed him anyway. It wasn't like he wanted to end it like this. He needed to. Dean made him feel things that he wasn't ready to feel yet.

Cas slid into the seat and managed to stay silent the entire ride back to the frat house. He looked over at Dean for the last time and frowned. "Dean, please understand that this is what needs to happen," he tried to explain.

Dean shrugged him off while looking in front of him the entire time and not giving Cas another glance. "Just go," he replied hoarsely as if he had been holding back tears.

Cas felt as if his heart had been torn in two as he stepped out of the car. He could see the sun begin to rise and usually he would very much enjoy a chance to take it all in but now he just felt defeated. He grabbed his backpack from the floorboard and slung it over his shoulder while keeping his gaze on the side of Deans face. He wanted to say something to make this right but there were no more words left in him.

He shut the door quietly and watched as Dean peeled out onto the street, disappearing into the sunrise. He groaned loudly then went back into the frat house where everyone was still sleeping. He just needed to take his own advice and forget this ever happened. Forget that Dean ever happened.

XXX

"Hey! I skipped you. You have to miss a turn, asshole," Gabe yelled loudly across the table at Aaron, another fraternity brother.

Aaron snickered but took back his Uno card. Four of them sat at the small, round table in the dining room with their cards high and a beer in front of them. Except for Cas who opted for water instead.

"You are so competitive its nearly barbaric," Raphael commented as he placed down a Draw 4 for Kevin Tran.

Kevin groaned loudly as he picked up four extra cards from the deck. All three of them laughed at Kevin's misfortunes and continued the game.

It had been four weeks since he had seen Dean and he was doing his best to push him as far from his mind as he possibly could. He had expected him to come back for the fraternity hazing but Gabriel informed him that he had quit.

"Hey, did you guys see on the news that Benny ran off?," Kevin quipped before taking a large gulp of his beer.

"Yeah, I think I saw that. They said he's probably in Colorado now from the last update. He's been gone for a month now," Raphael said as he rubbed his chin.

Cas let go of the breath he had been unaware he was even holding in. It felt great to know that no one had suspected them of it or that they even though he had been murdered. Everything was going according to plan.

"Didn't he get off on raping those girls though?," Gabe asked the group.

Aaron shook his head quickly in Benny's defense. "No, dude. They said he was innocent."

"That's what they always say but it doesn't make it true," Cas broke his silence. He could feel his body begin to quiver at the conversation.

They all raised eyebrows at him but decided to drop the discussion. They played in silence for a few minutes until Gabe coughed awkwardly. "Speaking of which, you guys are looking at the new campus security," he said with a smug smile.

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Who in their right mind would make you security?," he scoffed while Aaron and Kevin laughed.

"Well, technically I'm not security. I'm actually doing a major report on campus crime so I'm working closely with them. They're letting me in on an exciting case," he said with glee.

The boys smirked at him as they shook their heads. Sometimes, Cas forgot that Gabe is in school for Pre-Law. He never lets anyone see just how intelligent he really is.

"What's the case? Cutting down on pot smokers?," Kevin said with a laugh.

Gabe rolled his eyes. "No, you idiot. But if you must really know, we got a vigilante in our midst's."

Everyone looked up at him as he now had their full undivided attention. Cas gripped his cards in his hand to the point that they were bending. Gabe just smiled at them when he realized they were all interested now.

"What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything about it," Raphael commented.

"That's because it's a secret. They don't want anyone to become unnecessarily afraid. And this masked person is targeting frat boys," he replied as he set his cards down onto the table.

"Frat boys? Why? We're the ones that make college not so dreadful," Aaron said while leaning in.

Gabe nodded. "That's what I said. But it turns out that all these guys have backgrounds. I can't disclose anything else but the person doing this is kind of a hero."

Everyone high fived Gabe their excitement for him and congratulated him on his big report. Cas dropped his crumbled up cards and waited for everyone to calm down before he ran up to his room. They were onto him.

"And I can't wait to take him down," Gabe finished with a wide grin. The boys nodded in agreement and told him that was the best option for the fraternity's sake.

Cas cleared his throat and stood up on shaky legs. "I'm not feeling to well, guys. I'm calling it a night," he announced.

His brothers frowned but told him to feel better anyways. He nodded then immediately headed for his room. He didn't think there was a case to begin with. He had gone an entire month without so much as laying a finger on another person. And it wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it but he had no more targets.

It felt as if he had done his job of protecting people and cleaning up the campus. They couldn't pinpoint anything to him anyway. He got his grades up, he stayed out of trouble and he didn't even party anymore. No one, not even Gabe, would suspect a thing.

He climbed into bed and stared at the dark ceiling for who knows how long. He couldn't seem to get tired no matter how hard he tried to clear his mind. He was on the verge of falling asleep when he heard an annoying tapping sound at his window. He rolled on his side and tried to ignore it, figuring it was a tree branch but it droned on.

After another few minutes of this annoyance, he threw his covers off of him and stomped over to the window. He pulled the sill open and stuck his head outside it and into the cool night breeze.

Cas looked down at the ground below him and saw Dean standing in the lawn with a pile of pebbles in his hand. He tried to ignore the way his stomach flipped when he saw his face for the first time in a month. He still looked so vibrant and beautiful as ever.

"Dean? What are you doing?," he hissed so the other couldn't hear.

Dean discarded the pebbles onto the ground and ran a stressful hand through his hair. "I need to talk to you. Please, come down," he begged him.

Cas chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully before deciding that he needed to hear him out. He shut the window quietly and managed to slip out of the house unseen. Dean was still standing in the same place.

"What's so important that you need to pull me out of bed at one a.m?," Cas asked him.

"Look, I know we didn't leave things on god terms but I need you to see something. If you decide that you don't care then we can go our separate ways," Dean told him. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and now Cas didn't have a good feeling about anything. And to think he had gone the whole month incident free.

"Fine," he agreed while shoving his hands deep into his jackets pockets. "But hurry. I have an exam in the morning."

Dean nodded and turned on his heel into the direction of wherever this mystery was. Cas followed him and frowned. "You didn't drive?," he questioned him.

Dean shook his head. "No. It's in campus. Not too far from here," he answered him.

Cas continued to frown as all the possibilities ran through his head on what could be going on. Maybe they were caught. Or Dean wanted to frame him for it. Or maybe they were going to turn themselves in.

A few blocks later, they stopped at the campus' public restrooms. Cas tilted his head as he looked up at the building. "The restroom? That's what was so important?," he asked in confusion.

Dean shook his head again. "No. I was here earlier but I wasn't paying attention so I ended up in the women's restroom," he started before pausing.

"And?," Cas asked, unamused.

Dean pursed his lips. "Go see for yourself," he said with a wave of his arm.

Cas looked around at the dead campus to make sure no one was watching them. It would seem pretty strange for two boys to enter the women's restroom at this hour. He shrugged to himself before entering the small, drabby room.

Dean turned on the lights but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. The wall next to the stalls was filled top to bottom with names. Most were names that Cas clearly recognized and some were people he had never heard of. All boy names.

A large saying 'No means no' was written across the entire wall. 'Stay away from him' was written in smaller letters underneath it. He felt his breathing stop as he turned to Dean with tears in his eyes. "I don't understand," he whispered.

"Cas," he started while laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know what happened to you. I know why you do these things. And now I know why you have to. These girls need you. They need someone to protect them. Don't you see? There's no one protecting them."

Cas nodded as his lip quivered. Of course, no one was listening to them. If you couldn't throw a football or have a rich family name, you were nothing. He couldn't let this continue. He turned back to Dean. "We have to stop them," he declared.

"We?," Dean asked with hope.

Cas nodded. "Yes. We," he stated.

Dean smiled as he dug something out of his pocket. He handed Cas a sharpie then gestured towards the wall. "Please. Let them know who it was. Don't let it happen to someone else," he told him.

Cas nodded slowly before walking over to the wall where dozens of names glared down at him. He had never felt so small in his entire life. He wrote the name in bold letters as a tear slipped down his cheek. He took a step back as the name 'Balthazar Roche' stared back at him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Team work**

"Come on, Dean. We have a job to do tonight. Show me you're ready," Cas told his friend as he got into position for them to spar.

He had been training Dean nonstop for the past two weeks to make him stronger. So far, it seemed like they were getting nowhere. Deans mind was in a completely different place which only made it even more difficult.

Dean nodded before taking off his sweat dripped shirt and tossing it onto the floor of his large apartment. Cas' eyes followed his movements closely as a lump formed in his throat. He had yet to see Dean half naked but he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to either.

'Cas?," Dean asked yanking him out of his odd thoughts. His eyes drifted slowly up Deans bare torso. His chest glistened under the lights from the beaded sweat running down it.

Cas shifted on his feet nervously. What was he thinking? He hadn't so much as looked at another guy since before that night. He didn't need this. "I-I'm sorry. I got lost in thought," he half lied.

Dean eyed him curiously. "What's on your mind?," he questioned him as he took a step forward.

Cas took a step back while brushing him off. "I'm just wondering if you'll be alright tonight. This isn't a game, you know. This is serious."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yes, Cas. I know. I already told you that I had a plan," he pointed out to him.

"And what would that be?," Cas asked him as he crossed his arms.

Dean sighed and motioned for him to follow him. Cas dropped his arms from his chest but followed him across the room. Dean sat down at his dining room table with his laptop open in front of him and began to type quickly into it before turning the screen towards Cas who was now sitting next to him.

Cas squinted closely at the screen as he read out loud from a police report. "Male. Twenty-one years old. College basketball player. Accused of rape of an eighteen-year-old freshman. Name is Gordon Walker," he finished.

Dean looked at him expectantly. "So?," he asked him.

"No. I don't know him if that's what you're trying to ask. Is he on the list?," Cas asked while scanning the rest of the report quickly.

Dean nodded. "Yep. Gordon Walker is on the stay away list. I also know that he practices free throws in the gym on campus after it closes," he informed him.

"Tonight?," Cas asked while raising a brow.

"Yes," Dean confirmed.

Cas sighed. "Are you sure you're ready for something like this? You don't have to get mixed into all of this with me. I can always take the fall," Cas questioned him nervously.

Usually when he had a new victim, he felt excited. Even happy to take out one less scum bag on this campus. But now with Dean it was all different. He didn't want to fuck him up with his own problems.

Dean placed a gentle hand on Cas' shoulder. "Cas, I'm fine. We're in this together. Okay?," he said reassuringly with a small smile.

Cas stood up quickly from the table and felt relief when Deans touch no longer lingered on him. "Okay. Now, show me what you got," he told him while getting into position for more training.

Dean smiled with excitement for a challenge and stood up. "You're on."

XXX

Cas slipped the familiar black mask over his face then looked over at Dean who did the same with his own. "Stick to the plan. Got it?," he questioned Dean as he threw his backpack into the bushes.

Dean nodded firmly. "Got it," he confirmed before tossing his own bag to the ground and bringing his wooden baseball bat up to his shoulder. He handed Cas a similar bat and smiled softly.

"Thanks," he whispered shyly.

"No problem," Dean matched his tone as his eyes searched Cas'. Cas stared back for a second too long before he could feel his cheeks begin to heat up. He turned his face away quickly then marched in the direction of the dimly lit gym.

He could hear the sound of Deans footsteps closely behind him as they walked across the wet grass. He stopped in front of the double doors and held his hand up for Dean to stop as well.

"What is it?," Dean asked him as he leaned closer into him.

"Do you hear that?," Cas asked while he tilted his head up to the door to decipher the sounds coming from inside.

"Sounds like rock music," Dean whispered with a shrug of his shoulders.

A smile broke out onto Cas' face as he chuckled. "You're right," he told him before pushing through the double doors.

The echo of a basketball thumping on the gym floor filled the room while heavy rock sounded over it. Their footsteps weighed heavy and resonated throughout the area. They would have been caught easily if the music was off.

Dean snuck up behind the tall basketball player and casually wrapped his hands firmly around his wooden bat. Cas signaled for him to wait before jogging over to the stereo. He gave Dean a knowing nod then turned up the volume causing the entire gym to flood with the screams of some rocker.

Gordon turned around quickly and came face to face with Dean who waved at him. Gordon cried out as he stumbled a few feet back to get away from Dean. "Who the hell are you?," he asked him as his eyes darted from the bat to Deans eyes.

Cas appeared next to Dean in a flash and smiled while swinging his own bat skillfully in his hand. "You don't get to ask questions," he said darkly.

Gordon opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He was afraid. Exactly how Cas liked his victims. "Gordon Walker. Star basketball player, business major and scholarship holder. Your parents must be so proud," Cas started as he slowly walked up to Gordon.

Gordon held his basketball tightly in his shaking hands and nodded along as Cas listed off his definable characteristics. "And let's not forget- 'alleged' rapist," he said sarcastically as his hand made air quotes.

"We all know alleged means 'I didn't get caught'," Dean chimed in while disguising his voice into a deeper, darker tone.

Cas chuckled and nodded. "It's exactly what that means," he agreed.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't do anything!," Gordon shouted at them as his eyes continued to grow in fear.

Cas rolled his eyes with exasperation. Why couldn't they just fucking admit what they did? Why did they always have to blame others or just deny deny deny? This was beginning to get old.

Cas saw from the basketball being thrown from the corner of his eye. He ducked just in time for the ball to miss smashing into his face. He furrowed his brow and shared a glance with Dean who was thinking the same thing he was.

"That was a good throw. You're probably a great basketball player. Maybe even one of the best. Probably have a chance of signing on to a pro team after college," Cas said as he took one slow step right after the other.

"Which is why we're not sorry we have to do this," Dean told him when they both closed in and corned Gordon.

"What?," Gordon asked with confusion while looking between the two of them quickly.

"This," Cas replied as his fist connected with Gordons jaw.

Gordon wrapped his arms around Cas' body tightly after the blow and pulled him down onto the ground with him. Cas managed to kick him off while stomping on his pelvic area. Gordon groaned loudly while Dean helped Cas back onto his feet.

Dean looked at Cas with a question in his eyes. Cas nodded firmly while smiling. "Do it," he acknowledged.

Dean raised his bat up in the air before bringing it back down harshly and connecting it with Gordons leg. The loud snap of bone filled the space accompanied by Gordons devastating scream.

Cas looked down at the now bloody and mangled leg and smiled. He leaned over while placing his bat on Gordons chest. Gordon flinched as he prepared for another blow. "If I ever hear about another 'alleged' assault from you again, I will come back and finish the job," he said menacingly.

Gordon nodded as tears streamed down his red face. "Oh, and sorry about your scholarship. Not," he finished as he lifted the weight of the bat off of Gordon and walking out of the deafening gym with Dean.

They pushed through the double doors and ran to their backpacks in the bushes. Cas took his ski mask off followed by his hoodie. He was wearing a bright red college shirt to appear normal in case any cops were nearby.

Dean did the same then slung his back pack over his shoulder. "Cas! That was- that was awesome. So, exhilarating," he said breathlessly while they strode to another destination.

Cas nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it never really gets old. Nice work with the bat. He's going to have a hell of a time staying in school."

"Everything went according to plan," Dean smiled back as he looked down into Cas' eyes.

Cas looked away shyly as his stomach knotted up. He couldn't be doing this. He couldn't be falling for his accomplice. Or friend? He wasn't even really sure what they were at this point. But he knew they couldn't be more.

"Cas?," Dean asked him softly while shaking his shoulder lightly.

Cas' head snapped up as he looked at Dean but not into his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to do the honors?," Dean queried as he held out an extra large black sharpie.

Cas shook his head and gestured to the bathroom wall filled with names. "You should be the one to do it," Cas told him confidently.

Dean smiled appreciatively before marking a large 'X' through Gordon Walkers name. "That's four down and more to go. You ready?," Dean asked him with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Let's do this."


	9. Chapter 9

**The start**

Flashback

Cas shivered as held his red cup of alcohol firmly in his hand. The wind was beginning to pick up causing most of the party to head inside the house. Cas stumbled along with the crowd and jumped when a hand laid on his shoulder.

He turned his head to see who it was and broke out into a wide smile when he saw his friend. "Balthazar!," he greeted loudly and drunkenly.

Balthazar smiled back at him as his hand found its way to Cas' waist and pulled him in closer to him. "Cassie, you're freezing. How about we get you inside?," he offered him.

Cas nodded. " 's where I was going," he slurred. It was the last party of junior year and he wanted to be completely hammered before he had to go back home to his parents for the summer. It was just a shame that his best friend, Gabe, couldn't make it out tonight.

Balthazar's warm breath against his neck made him shiver again as he chuckled softly. Cas' stomach twisted in an uneasy feeling. He grabbed the arm that was gripped tightly on his waist and pushed it away. Balthazar's arm dropped at his side but he continued to press up against Cas as they walked.

Cas pushed through the back door then steadied himself up against the wall in the living room. Balthazar followed him and leaned in next to him. "Are you feeling okay, Cas? Can you make it back to your house?," he asked in a concerned voice as he gently pulled the cup from his hands.

Cas closed his eyes and ignored the uneasiness and alarms going off in his head. "Mm. Maybe. I- I should just call an Uber," he stuttered while pulling out his phone.

c

"Nonsense! You can sleep in my room," Balthazar offered him without hesitation.

Cas shook his head slowly. "Not such a good idea. Where will you sleep?," he asked him.

Balthazar put his hands in between Cas' head and stood firmly in front of him. Cas opened his eyes slowly and saw how intently the other boy gazed at him. He swallowed down a lump in his throat as Balthazar pushed a stray hair off of his forehead.

"You know, my bed is big enough for two," he hinted. His tongue darted out across his lips as he continued to stare. Cas looked away from him but didn't miss the way Balthazar's head dipped down to meet his.

Cas dodged his head out of the way and grimaced when Balthazar's lips landed on his cheek. He pushed on the stronger boys' chest firmly to get him to back off. "Balthazar, it's never going to happen," he said calmly even though his entire body was buzzing from the copious amounts of alcohol he consumed that evening.

Balthazar tightened his lips but nodded anyways. "Fine, Cassie. But you know where to find me if you change your mind," he suggested with a sly wink before pushing away from him and walking off with his drink.

"Uh, that's my drink," Cas said softly but fell on deaf ears when Balthazar made his way into the kitchen.

Cas shrugged lightly to himself then walked over to the long couch where a couple was making out. He sat down next to them and pulled out his phone to request a ride.

The screen blurred together as he attempted to pull himself together and get the hell out of here. Walking or driving was clearly out of the question. He squinted his eyes but it only made the screen look worse. He sighed and raised his phone to show the couple next to him. " 'scuse me? Can you please help me get an Uber?," he slurred.

The couple ignored him even when he began tapping on their shoulders to gain their attention. When that proved to be no use, he locked his phone and rested against the couch with his eyes closed. Maybe he could crash here for a couple of hours then leave when he sobered up.

A light shake of his shoulder caused him to open his eyes slightly. "Hm?," he hummed as Balthazar slowly came into focus.

Balthazar held out his red cup from earlier for him to take. "My mistake, Cassie. I grabbed yours by accident," he told him.

Cas shook his head. "Nah. I'm trying to get sober," he said, rejecting the drink.

Balthazar placed the drink in his hand with a tight smile. "I insist. You don't want it to go to waste, do you?," he questioned him rhetorically while guiding the cup up to Cas' lips.

Cas shrugged but didn't stop the drink as liquid flowed into his throat. One more drink couldn't hurt. He leaned back again when the cup was empty then pulled out his phone once again. "Will you help me get a ride?," he asked Balthazar while holding it up.

Balthazar smiled and nodded. "Of course. What are friends for?," he said as he took the phone from him.

Cas smiled back. He was happy to know that him and Balthazar could still be friends even though he wasn't interested him romantically. Cas' phone began to ring in Balthazar's hand. Cas looked over at him and tilted his head.

"It's Gabe," Balthazar told him then held his phone out to him.

Cas grabbed it then swiped to answer. "Hello?," he slurred.

"Cas? Are you okay? You haven't texted me back," Gabe said with worry evident in his voice.

" 'm fine. Bout to go home," he confirmed to his friend. His head was beginning to feel like a ton of bricks making it hard to hold up any longer. He laid back against the couch and grimaced when the room began to spin around him. Maybe he did have one drink too many.

"When? When are you going home? I need to know," Gabe questioned him. Cas could barely comprehend what was being asked of him.

"Um. I- I. G- Gabe," he stuttered. He felt as if he was on the verge of passing out. His eyes fluttered shut as his body went limp.

He dropped his phone on his chest but felt it being removed. "Gabriel, he will stay here tonight…yes, no problem at all…be in tip top shape when he comes home," he could hear Balthazar's voice coming in and out as he began to lose consciousness.

After what felt like hours but was probably just minutes, his body was being picked up and taken up the stairs. He could hear the music fade out followed by the heavy sound of shoes on the stairs.

He weakly attempted to open his eyes but failed when he couldn't move them a bit. He could feel himself slipping into complete darkness but he fought to stay awake. He was screaming at himself to move, to cry, to shout, to do something. But he couldn't. His mind was here but his body was not. And there was nothing he could do about it.

His mind began to slip away from consciousness no matter how hard he fought back. Then he was gone.

He woke up in a pool of sweat in an unfamiliar room. He looked to his right to see Balthazar sleeping soundly next to him, his chest bare. He felt a wave of nausea hit him like a train when he realized he was also completely naked. He sat up slowly as to not wake the other boy and almost cried out when a sharp pain in his ass greeted him.

He put his hand up to his mouth to muffle his cries when his emotions betrayed him as tears began to spill out of his eyes. He searched the room quickly to look for his clothes while slipping out of the bed.

He stumbled into the large bookcase that proudly held all of Balthazar's football awards and trophies. Cas reached out and held onto the bookcase to steady himself as he wiped away his tears. He looked down and found his discarded clothes lying in a pile at the end of the bed.

He let go of the case then proceeded to quickly slip into his clothes. He felt his pockets for his phone and felt panic rise in his chest when he realized it was missing.

He let out a loud sniffle and closed his eyes when Balthazar started to groan lowly and turn around in the bed. When he was sure he hadn't woken up yet, he scanned the room once again. He spotted his phone on the bedside table next to him and pocketed it quickly.

Cas tiptoed out of the room silently but left the door ajar before dashing down the stairs despite the pain radiating through his lower body. He carefully stepped over the leftover party goers who were passed out on the floor.

He made it out of the front door and he knew what he had to do. The rain poured relentlessly over the campus. Cas pulled out his phone now that his vision wasn't impaired and checked the time. It was nearing five in the morning meaning that the sun would be up soon.

He noticed a notification at the top of his phone letting him know that the 'do not disturb' method was currently in use. Balthazar must of turned it on when he took his phone from him earlier to ensure that no distractions happened.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket to protect it from the rain then slowly began to grudge towards a campus building. He felt numb, shocked and overall betrayed.

He had to admit that he was a little bit glad that he couldn't remember the event itself but with every step he took, there was an awful pain that reminded him that he wasn't dreaming. This was happening. And he had been assaulted. No. He had been raped.

The downfall of rain soaked into his clothes and matted his hair down on his head and forehead. He could see the building in sight. The colleges medical center.

A few minutes later, he walked through the automatic doors and up to the woman behind the glass counter. She put down her clipboard and looked at him with worry. "Are you okay, hun?," she asked him.

Cas adverted her brown eyes and opted for the tiled floor. "I- I've been raped," he said softly. He couldn't tell if he had said it out loud or if he was still thinking.

The woman came out of a door next to the counter then wrapped a warm blanket around him. "Okay. We're going to go run a rape kit on you and see if you have sustained any injuries, alright?," she asked him while directing him to a small white room with a checkup table.

Cas nodded even though he hadn't been listening to closely to her. He could only think of how embarrassed he felt. This wasn't how he pictured his last night of junior year. He briefly wondered what the nurse must think of him. Did she think he was weak or lying? He looked into her warm and understanding eyes and took his previous questions back.

Cas went numbly through the exam and test while trying not to remember the entire reason he was even here. After it was over, the nurse gave him a warm pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt to change into. She asked him if he wanted her to wash his damp clothes and have him pick them up at a later date.

"No. Burn them," he said with detachment.

The nurse frowned but discarded the clothes into a clear plastic trash bag. The nurse and doctor that came in at some point confirmed that Cas had indeed been raped but had no injuries. His rapist knew what he was doing.

The nurse allowed him to lie on the checkup table for as long as he liked but came back to see how he was doing every once in a while. She laid her hand on Cas' shoulder but pulled back when he flinched. "Sweetie, would you like us to call the campus police so you can take further action?," she asked him gently.

Cas shook his head. He wanted to say something but the words would only come out cracked and dry at this point. She sighed and sat down next to him. "I know this is hard. Hell, it's the hardest thing you will ever go through. What he did to you is not okay. He has done this before. Do you want him claiming even more victims? If not then something needs to be done. He needs to be reprimanded," she told him with confidence in her voice.

Cas stayed motionless and quiet. The nurse stood up and let him be alone once again. He finally allowed himself to break down, to let everything out and tell himself that everything was going to be alright even when it wasn't.

He decided that the nurse was right. He wasn't going to let Balthazar get away with this and have him victimize anyone else. He met with the campus police with nerves chattering through his entire body.

They took his statement, asked for any potential witnesses and seemed to be genuinely comforting in the wake of this traumatizing event.

"Now, Cas, can you tell me who your assailant is?," the head of police asked him as he held a pen and notebook filled with details in front of him.

Cas looked down at his feet with shame. "B-Balthazar Roche," he stuttered out.

He didn't hear the sound of pen against paper like he did before. He looked up and saw the man looking at him oddly. "I'm sorry. Did you say Balthazar? Quarterback?," he questioned him.

Cas nodded as his cheeks flushed red. The cop shook his head slowly and set down the pen. "That cant be. Are you one hundred percent positive? Balthazar is a great kid. He would never do anything like that," the cop defended him.

Cas felt his entire stomach flip over in his stomach. "I think I would know who fucking raped me," he spat out angrily.

The cop pursed his lips. "But maybe you didn't. You did say you were drinking, correct?," he asked him.

Cas nodded slowly. "Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything," he deadpanned.

"You could've slept with anyone. Drinking impairs your judgement. You don't want to get anyone in trouble for something they didn't do. Do you?," he questioned him quickly.

Cas tilted his head at him and furrowed his brow. "But he did it. I know with everything I have in me that he did it. Please, believe me," he begged the officer.

The cop sighed then closed the notebook without writing a name into it. "I will get this in sometime this week. We'll call you," he falsely assured him.

Tears stung in his eyes when he realized that he would never receive that call. Nothing would happen to Balthazar because of who he was. Cas was nobody compared to him. He stood up quickly and ran out of the station.

Balthazar wasn't getting away with this. None of them were. If the police didn't believe him then fine. He would find other alternatives to get their attention. This was not over.


	10. Chapter 10

**Plans**

Cas threw his backpack over his shoulder then jogged down the stairs at a quick pace. He turned the door knob to the front door but was interrupted by a cough coming from behind him.

He turned around to see Gabe staring at him with his arms crossed. Cas shot him his best 'everything is cool' smile. "Uh, hey, Gabe. Didn't expect you to be home on a Friday night," he said as unsuspiciously as he could.

Gabe was extremely smart. He noticed everything that went on around him but sometimes he was completely oblivious. Especially since he hasn't figured out what's been going on with his own best friend for the past few months.

"It's not safe out there, Cas. Where are you going?," he asked his friend as his eyes drifted to Cas' black backpack.

"To Deans. I'm tutoring him, remember?," he said with a raise of his eyebrows.

Gabe's lips tightened into a straight line. "Do you really think that's such a good idea? I mean, there's a psycho loose that's harming frat members," he said with concern.

Cas shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I heard they're not all frat members. Don't live in fear so much. I'm fine," he lied.

Gabe frowned. "It's just-," he paused briefly, "I worry about you. Did something happen last summer that I don't know about? You're different."

Cas' heart beat heavily in his chest. "Nothing happened," he said as soon as Gabe closed his mouth. Gabe looked at him oddly.

"Alright," he said with defeat as he raised his hands in defense. "I'm just a little on edge with this paper I'm working on. You know, the one about the person doing all of this. I mean, the entire campus is looking for him."

Cas swallowed nervously while nodding. "So, you don't think these guys deserve what happened to them?," he questioned his friend. He was so sick of everyone feeling sorry for these guys. He needed to do something else. He needed to show everyone who these people are.

"There's no files on them anywhere. They haven't done anything to deserve this," Gabe scoffed as if he couldn't believe what Cas had implied.

"Keep thinking that, Gabriel," Cas said angrily before stomping out of the house.

Something needed to be done. He wasn't getting his point across. No one was listening. It just made them even more sympathetic for rapists. His thoughts flurried together as his mind seemed to be going a hundred miles an hour.

He wasn't sure when he made it to Deans apartment but now here was standing in front of him as Dean looked at him the same way Gabe always did. "Cas?," Dean said, interrupting his thoughts.

Cas pushed his way into the spacious apartment and threw his backpack onto his leather couch. "Please tell me you have something. I need something. We need to go bigger," he said quickly as he paced back and forth in front of the couch.

Dean grabbed his shoulders then spun him around to face him. "Calm down, Cas. What's wrong with you?," Dean questioned him as his green eyes burned into Cas'.

"They're not listening, Dean. We need them to listen," he told him while gripping tightly onto the collar of Deans shirt.

Dean nodded. "Okay. It's going to be okay. Just sit down with me for a moment, alright?," he asked rhetorically while pulling him down onto the couch next to him.

Cas ran a tired hand down his face while he shook his head. "It's just not fair," he said quietly after a few minutes of silence.

Dean wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into his chest. "I know it's not. But just think about all the good that you are doing. These guys aren't going to do it again. They will have no more victims and that's all because of you," he assured him while Cas sniffed into his shirt.

Dean stayed patient and calm with him as Cas pulled himself back together. He hated feeling so weak and vulnerable. He hated that Balthazar made him feel this way. He hated him.

He lifted his head from Deans chest. "I'm sorry. I don't really know what came over me," he said shyly.

Dean shifted on his cushion and turned to face Cas. He lifted his chin with his index finger coaxing him to look directly at him. "Cas, you are a badass. And a fighter. You've overcome so much and I'll be damned if I see you give up now."

A smile tugged at Cas' lips. "You really think so?," he asked him.

Dean nodded firmly. "I know so. Now, are you sure you're okay before I let you know what's going on?," he asked him while double checking his features.

Cas nodded back. "I'm okay. Thank you, Dean," he said gratefully.

Dean smiled but waved him off. "Of course," he replied. He stood off the couch then offered his hand out for Cas to take. "Come on. You've got to see this," he said while Cas grabbed his hand.

Dean lifted him up with ease and smiled when Cas looked at him like he was Superman. He led him over to the dining room table where his laptop was open. Cas sat in his usual spot next to Dean and mentally prepared himself for the next fucked up job.

Dean turned the screen so both him and Cas could see as he pulled up a video of what appeared to be security footage of a bar. "What is this?," Cas asked with a furrowed brow. Dean shushed him then pointed to the screen where it zoomed in.

Two college age boys sat at the bar drinking what was either water or vodka in a glass. After a few minutes, one of the boys got up from the bar and left. Another boy walked over to the bar and sat down in the missing boys spot.

The remaining boy began to chat him up and flirt with him. The boy's body language screamed that he was uncomfortable. He turned around away from the original boy to presumably find his friends. The first boy quickly dumped something into the other boys' glass before getting up and walking away from the bar.

Cas tightened his fist. "What is going on?," he asked Dean loudly. Dean held his finger up for Cas to look back at the screen. He looked back at the black and white screen as his whole body shook with anger. The screen switched to an outside camera that looked like a camera that Dean had planted.

The boy with the obviously spiked drink stumbled out of the bar. The boy that had left earlier in the video offered to help him walk. He wrapped his arm across the boy's shoulders and stood perfectly still while talking casually to him like nothing was wrong.

A sleek black car quickly pulled up to where the pair was standing. The boy pulled open the back-seat door before shoving the drugged guy into it then slammed the door. The car pulled out and away from view as the remaining boy made his way back into the bar.

Dean closed the laptop and looked carefully at Cas to make sure he was alright. "What did I just watch?," he asked Dean as his voice cracked at the end.

Dean frowned. "I setup some cameras around all the campus bars just to get a better idea on what happens. Well, I got this two nights ago but I only saw it last night. I went through recent police files and found an incident that matches this. But," he paused as he looked down at the table.

"But what?," Cas questioned him. He knew that there were things going on around the campus that no one talked about but he never knew exactly how dark it could be.

"They closed the case. Almost immediately. I've watched it over and over. They obviously only target males. Young males. One distracts the victim then slips them a drug. The other one waits outside to make sure they don't leave. Then the previous one takes them and I'm sure you can fill in the blanks from there," he answered.

Cas nodded while his body continued to vibrate. "Alright. What's the plan?," he asked him.

"Well, I thought a lot about this. And I don't want to put you through anything that will make you panic. So, I figured I'd play bait tonight," Dean suggested nervously.

Cas tilted his head thinking he had misheard Dean. "I'm sorry. Play bait? You're seriously going to let them kidnap you like that?," he questioned him with disbelief.

Dean shook his head. "Of course not. But I need a way to get the guy alone. I will text you every single minute. And I'll be just fine," he tried to assure Cas.

Cas stood up hastily from the table and began to pace back and forth again. "No, Dean! I am not going to sit back while you get into a car with a rapist without me! What if he hurts you or seriously drugs you without you knowing? I'm not risking you getting hurt," he exclaimed.

Dean stood up and gently put his hands on Cas' shoulders to calm him down. "Cas, I'll be fine. You've taught me everything there is to know. We cannot stand idly by while innocent people are getting hurt. There is no other way."

"But maybe I can be the bait," Cas suggested softly.

Dean shook his head immediately. "Not going to happen. I'll be okay. You're going to have to trust me on this one," he told him confidently.

Cas thought a moment before ultimately nodding in agreement. "Fine. But promised you'll take my pocket knife," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small switch.

Dean wrapped his hand around Cas' before taking the knife away from him. He spread his other hand across Cas' face while looking deeply into his eyes. "I got this."


	11. Chapter 11

**Exposed**

Cas sat at a booth in the dark corner of the campus bar. A glass of water remained untouched directly in front of him. He held his iPhone up to his ear and sighed loudly. "Yes, I see them. Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to back out," he told Dean with a little bit of hope that he would decide to let him take control.

"No, Cas. I'll be in and out. It'll be an easy job," Dean responded. He could tell that he was starting to get annoyed with his million questions to make sure he was okay.

"But you've never done it alone before," Cas pointed out to him. His nerves were jittering around causing him to become anxious.

"I'll be fine. I'm coming in," Dean informed him before hanging up on his end.

Cas watched as Dean made his way into the dimly lit bar. The two boys, who he didn't even bother to learn what their names were, sat at the bar in front of the bartender. Dean took a seat at the stool at the end which was three away from them.

Dean was wearing a tight black shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged his lower half entirely. His hair was tousled to the side. He was looking good and the other boys knew it. The pair whispered to each other while stealing the occasional look at Dean.

The boy sitting furthest from Dean stood up then made his way out of the bar. Cas cut his eyes at the remaining one as he discreetly dropped something into a glass before carrying the drink to where Dean was.

He sat down next to him and shined his perfect white teeth at him. Dean smiled back then took the drink off the bar when the predator offered it.

Cas could feel his heart sink heavier and heavier in his chest. He knew Dean wouldn't drink it but just seeing it all play out made him sick to his stomach. He felt a twinge of jealousy shoot through him when the boy ran a greedy hand down Deans back then leaned in to whisper something.

Dean threw his head back with laughter. The other boy's eyes shined like he had just caught a prize. He excused himself from the bar and walked outside, leaving Dean alone.

Dean grimaced at the soiled glass before dumping it all out into a plant next to him. He put the glass back down on the bar then looked over into Cas' direction. He gave him a confident thumbs up as he fake stumbled to the door.

Good. Dean didn't mess up and drink it. He should be calling in about five minutes. Cas tapped his fingers nervously on the table while checking his phone every second. Screw this. He wasn't waiting.

He ran out the door and saw just in time as the black car sped off around the corner. "Fuck!," Cas swore loudly while looking around quickly for a solution. He noticed that the other boy was also gone. They were all in the car.

He ran as fast as his body could manage when he realized what was happening. He followed the dust that the car made from peeling off so quickly. He ran for another five minutes without slowing down until he saw the same car in park.

Cas pulled his black ski mask out of his hoodies pocket and put it over his head while catching up to the car. He could hear yelling coming from inside the backseat.

His blood was pumping vigorously through him and giving the adrenaline he needed to swing the door open. One of the boys was straddling Dean while the other held his arms down so he couldn't move. Dean was struggling underneath them and screaming into the one on top of hims hand.

Cas angrily pulled out the boy that was straddling him and threw him down onto the ground. He kicked him swiftly in the face when he tried to sit up and see what was happening. The boy fell back down as blood gushed out of his nose.

Dean had the other one flipped over as he held his face into the seat. He exchanged a knowing glance at Cas before tossing him out of the vehicle. Cas tossed Dean his mask that he had been holding for him and silently instructed him to put on his black sweats that he was wearing underneath his jeans.

Cas turned around in time to see a fist flying at him. He grabbed his assailants arm then twisted it around his back before kicking him hard in the back. The boy screamed and fell to his knees. Cas took it as a moment to knock him out with a quick kick to the head but was pulled down onto the gravel before he could think.

The boy whose nose was now broken wrapped his hands around Cas' throat while the other one tried to pull his mask off. He could feel the boys weight lying on top of him. He started to freeze up as the last night of junior year ran darkly through his head.

The weight was gone almost as soon as it was there. Cas looked up and saw Dean toss the boy into the side of the car. His head hit the metal with a loud thud accompanying it.

He could feel the grip on his neck getting tighter and tighter. He gestured Dean with his hand and managed to smile softly when he felt the cool metal in his palm.

Cas flipped the switch then sank the pocket knife into his attackers hand. The boy screamed harshly in pain but let go quickly. Dean helped Cas up then pulled the blade out of the boys hand.

Cas caught his breath then turned around to look menacingly at the boy with the broken nose and now bloody hand. "Who are you?," he whispered as he held his hand up.

"Someone you never want to see again. Don't make me come back here because we will fuck you up next time," Cas threatened in a low growl.

The boy laughed manically while looking around. "You're not going to do that," he said almost happily.

"Cas," Dean whispered next to him.

Cas ignored him and pulled the switch blade out again. "And what makes you think that I wont?," he questioned the guy. He leaned over and shined the blade in the dim street light.

Dean pulled him up quickly and forced him to put his knife away. "Cas, stop," he pleaded barely audible.

"Because I already won," the guy said with a wide grin as blood seeped into his open mouth.

"What?," Cas asked mostly himself until Dean tilted his head up and made him look at his surroundings for the first time since he got there.

A crowd of about thirty people stood around watching the scene with wonderment or excitement playing on their faces. They held their cell phones high in the air with flashes on them. They were caught.

Cas looked back down at the smug guy and was reminded of how Balthazar must look all the time. How he feels with getting away with anything he wants.

Cas lifted his leg swiftly before swinging it and connecting directly with the boys chin. The boy moaned and landed on the ground just like his friend. Dean roughly pulled at his arm to get him to leave him.

Cas wanted more than anything to do it again. Over and over until he couldn't feel anymore. His chest heave dup and down as he thought it over. He looked back at Dean with desperate eyes and felt his heart deflate. He couldn't do that to him.

He let Dean pull him along and ran through the crowd with him as cell phone lights went off in his face. They ran a good distance until they were far away from any crowds.

He took off his suffocating ski mask and hoodie before stashing them into a nearby bush. He'd just have to remember to come back for it later. Dean did the same until they were back in the same clothes as before.

"Cas, what you did back there was stupid," Dean started to chastise him.

"I'm sorry. Me? You almost blew our entire operation all because you thought you were ready to do something as big as this! I knew you weren't fucking ready and I knew I should have never involved you in this shit," he said loudly while pointing an accusatory finger at Dean.

"What was I supposed to do? Two guys were in the car. Two guys held me down! I'm not fucking Superman, Cas!," Dean shouted back at him just as angry.

"Do you have any idea what would've happened if I had listened to you and stayed at the bar until you called me? You would be just like me. Damaged," he yelled. All he wanted was for Dean to understand how serious this was. He didn't want Dean to get hurt, he didn't want to involve him and he'd be damned if he was going to let Dean jeopardize his life like that. It's a memory that never goes away.

Dean looked down at the ground while running his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry. Okay? I didn't realize it at the time. I just wanted to prove to you that I could do it," he explained to Cas.

Cas shook his head as he picked up his discarded clothes out of the bush. He didn't see any cop lights meaning that it might be safe to walk back to the frat house with them. It was only a block away anyways.

"You're not damaged," Dean said as he followed him with his own clothes.

"What?," Cas mumbled. He didn't want to yell anymore. He was tired of being angry all the time. He just couldn't be that way with Dean.

"I said you're not damaged. I don't know exactly what happened to you but I know it must have hurt enough for you to go and do this every night. You're not alone and you're not fucking damaged," Dean responded.

Cas stopped in front of the fraternity house and sighed. He slowly wrapped his arms around Deans waist and smiled softly into his chest. It felt good to hear those words out loud. He had always thought the worse of himself but to hear Dean deny those fears and take him for who he really was felt extremely liberating.

Dean hugged him back and let Cas take all the time he needed to collect himself again. Cas let go of him after a few seconds and continued to smile. Something he didn't do a lot of anymore. "Thank you," he whispered.

Dean nodded then followed Cas to the door. He picked his backpack up off the porch and shoved the clothes into it before tossing it over his shoulder. Sometimes he couldn't believe how oblivious his housemates could be.

He swung the door open and stopped when he saw almost all of the fraternity packed into the living room while huddling over Raphael's phone.

"What's going on?," Cas asked slowly as he closed the door behind Dean.

Gabe jumped up from the couch and quickly threw his arms around Cas. "Where the fuck were you? I've been calling you for ten minutes!," he scolded him.

"I was at Deans. Why?," Cas continued to ask, confused.

"The campus is on lockdown. There's tons of videos going around of this masked guy beating another guys ass. Now they're looking for the person matching the description," Gabe explained.

Cas felt like he was going to pass out. He exchanged an 'oh fuck' look with Dean and looked back at Gabriel. "Awesome."


	12. Chapter 12

**Slipping**

Gabe eyed Dean and Cas suspiciously. He grabbed onto Cas' arm and pulled him away from Dean. "Can I talk to you?," he asked him while continuing to stare at Dean.

Cas firmly stomped his foot on the ground to prevent Gabe from dragging him into some corner to whisper his suspicions about Dean. "I think anything you want to say to me, you can also say in front of Dean," he said unwavering.

Gabe looked between the two of them once more before sighing and giving up on getting Cas alone. "Fine. You really want me to say it, Cas?," he asked him while frowning deeply.

"Yes, I do. Say what we all know you're thinking out loud," Cas challenged him with a wave of his hand.

"Okay," Gabe agreed while nodding his head, "I think Dean here is the masked man. I mean, what do you even know about this guy?"

Cas clinched his fist next to his side and tried to calm himself down but he couldn't. Not after everything. It was all falling apart right in front of him. "What do you even know about me, Gabe?," he asked angrily.

Gabe looked hurt at Cas' acquisition. "I know you're my best friend and I don't want to see you get hurt," he said sincerely.

"Yeah well, it's a little too late for that," he shot back before pushing passed a confused Gabe.

He could hear murmurs from his brothers about the confrontation then could tell that Gabe had said something to Dean. He stomped angrily up the stairs until he reached his room. Deans soft footsteps snuck up behind him as Cas pushed his door open angrily.

"I can't even believe him," Cas said while shaking his head and tossing his backpack into the corner. "I mean, what have you ever done to him? Why is he so insistent on me being miserable?" Cas questioned quickly while dropping himself into his desk chair.

Dean took a seat on Cas' bed and sighed. "I don't know, Cas, maybe because," he paused and looked around before turning his tone into a quiet whisper, "I am the masked man."

Cas laughed incredulously. "I wouldn't say the masked man. More like my sidekick," he commented.

Dean rolled his eyes at the remark. "Either way, they're onto us. The campus is locked down until they can find one of us," he reminded Cas.

Cas lifted his sweatshirt off of his body before stretching with his arms high in the air. He looked at Dean who only looked horrified at him as if there was a large creature on him. Cas dropped his arms and tilted his head at his friend. "What?" he asked him.

Deans mouth had dropped slightly as he continued to stare. He gestured to his own neck while not saying a word. "Dean, what's going on?" Cas asked him with more fear in his voice than he wanted to show.

"Y- your neck," Dean stuttered with wide eyes.

Cas stood up quickly and walked over to his bedrooms' mirror hanging by his closet. He immediately noticed the welts the size of human fingers seemingly burned into every angle of his neck. Cas lightly traced over them with shaky fingers and hissed when the pressure stung.

Both Dean and Cas' phones chimed at the same moment. They gave each other questioning looks before pulling them out of their pockets. Cas almost gasped as he saw the notification sent to them by campus police.

"Assault details. At nine thirty-five p.m. an attack was made a few blocks away from KSU Bar in the campus square. Two victims were attacked at knife point by a masked assailant. One victim is said to have been able to choke the suspect to the point of leaving behind marks on person's body. Campus police will be going by every dorm, fraternity and apartment on campus to look at every males' neck to match the description. Updates will be posted," Dean read out loud.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket before running his hand through his hair. "Fuck. What are we going to do, Cas? They'll know it's you. And Gabriel already suspects me so we can't get him to cover," Dean said hastily.

Cas slipped his university sweatshirt on and made sure it covered his neck completely. "I have a plan. It's crazy and reckless but I'm going to need you to go with it," he said after a few moments of thinking it through.

Dean bit his lip as he nodded along with whatever it was Cas was asking him to do. "We're going to go downstairs and act like everything is cool. Can you do that?" Cas asked him slowly.

Dean nodded again and Cas breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. The rest of the plan I will not be telling you," he informed him as he walked over to the door.

Dean stood up quickly. "What do you mean you're not going to tell me? Cas, we're in this together. We both fall down," he said as he grabbed onto Cas' arm.

"This isn't your mess, Dean. It's mine. I started this and now I need to finish it and I won't have you endangering yourself. So, please go downstairs, make small talk and act like everything is good in this world," Cas begged him softly.

Dean pursed his lips and fought internally with his emotions. "I can't do that," he finally said.

Cas frowned. "So, do it for me. If you can't protect yourself for yourself then do it for me," he pleaded with him.

Dean's face struggled as he tried to find another solution to everything happening but he couldn't. He gently lifted his hand to Cas' face and smiled softly when he leaned into his touch. "I'll do it for you," he agreed quietly.

Cas smiled back at him for a few seconds before pulling away and heading down the stairs. He earned a few curious stares from some of his brothers for seeing him with the first boy in almost a year. He shot them a tight smile as he walked over to Gabe's side of the couch and sat down next to him.

Dean took a seat next to Cas and smiled warmly at Gabe as if nothing was bothering him. "You got the update, too?" Gabe asked his friend as he held up his phone for Cas to see.

Cas nodded. "Yeah. When do you think they're going to get here?" he asked nonchalantly.

Gabe shrugged. "I don't know. Could be minutes or it could be hours. All I know is our asses are staying inside until this whole thing blows over," he answered.

"Well, how about you do me a favor then?" Cas asked him with a soft smile that he knew Gabe couldn't deny.

Gabe squinted his eyes at him but smiled along anyways. "Fine. I'll bite. What is it?" he asked.

"I really need to take a shower. If the police show up will you tell them I'll only be a minute?" he queried.

Gabe sighed. "Alright. But you owe me," he said with a large grin.

Cas nodded and matched his smile. "You bet. I'll be back. Try not to make Dean uncomfortable please," he said before walking away.

"I make no promises!" Gabe shouted after him as Cas made his way up the stairs.

He shook his head to himself and decided to listen in to their conversation before putting his plan into motion. He could hear Dean clear his throat nervously. The poor guy had no idea what was happening but he just couldn't risk getting him caught as well.

"You understand why I'm so suspicious of you, right, Dean-o?" he could hear Gabe ask as soon as Cas had made it up the stairs.

"Um, yeah. I get it. I'm new and the whole shit storm going on right now," Dean replied back. Cas could tell that he was nervous but hopefully Gabe couldn't tell.

"Yeah, whatever, man. I don't trust you and I don't think Cas should either," Gabe said in a no-nonsense way.

"And he should trust you?" Dean shot back. Cas' heart sped up at the words of their confrontation.

"You're damn right he should. Cause I'm his best friend and I will always be his best friend," Gabe defended himself.

Dean scoffed. "A best friend should notice when his best friend isn't the same."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gabe asked with anger.

Cas walked backwards and away from the conversation. He didn't want to hear any more of this. He wanted things to go back to normal. He frowned when he realized that nothing in his life would be normal ever again. All because of him.

He shook his head quickly and walked into the bathroom where he turned on the shower. He quickly walked across the hall to his room and picked up the discarded backpack. He could only hope that this would work.

He tossed the backpack into the bathroom and locked the door. He then removed his sweatshirt and stared at his injured neck in the mirror until it fogged up from the shower.

He quickly slipped into his vigilante outfit then pulled the mask over his face with ease. He held his breath as he opened the bathroom door slowly and was relieved to see that no one was around. Cas did a double take to make sure he had left the bathroom's window open before he shut the door with the sound of the lock clicking into place once more.

This was it. No going back now. He slowly crept to the top of the stairs and listened in for any signs of the police. He could hear some rustling downstairs but no other unusual voices.

"You know what, just drop it. I'll be more than happy when the cops come and drag your ass out," he could hear Gabe say to who he assumed was Dean.

"Hey guys, the cops are next door," Garth announced.

Cas squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember that this was for the best. This is what would get them either out of the mess or into an even worse one. But Dean would no longer be involved.

He tightened his grip around the wooden baseball bat he had picked up in front of Raphael's room and silently thanked himself for wearing gloves so it wouldn't slip from his sweaty palms.

He opened his eyes. It was now or never. Cas ran down the stairs causing everyone's heads to shoot up in shock. "It's him!" a few of them yelled but no one made a move to do anything.

Except Gabe. He stood up from his spot on the couch and attempted to block Cas as he tried to run out the front door. He had to do what needed to be done to get him away from Dean and back into his own lane.

Cas brought the bat back before swinging hard and hitting Gabe directly in his shin. Gabe yelled as he fell to the ground but he still didn't give up. His hands frantically reached for Cas' ankles with hopes to bring him down with him but Cas was more trained than Gabe.

He jumped over his hands with no effort and continued to run to the front door. He pulled it open quickly before looking back at the scene he had just made. A few of his brothers were at Gabe's side as they checked him over while some were staring at him or taking quick pictures of him on their phone.

Dean stood the closest with a hurt look on his face that he couldn't stand to see any longer. He turned his head back around and dashed out of the door. A group of three campus police were casually walking down the sidewalk towards his frat house and didn't notice him at first.

Until his brothers all poured out onto the houses porch and began to scream at the police that the assailant was standing right in front of them. The cops realized what was happening and started to take quick steps towards Cas who was gripping the bat with all of his strength.

He swung the bat at them but was careful enough not to actually hit them. He only wanted them to back off. A few of them began to walk away slowly but one brave one lunged at him. Cas tossed the bat into the frat house's lawn and then he ran.


	13. Chapter 13

**A moment before the end**

His chest was on fire. He felt like each breath he took was like breathing in razor blades. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. He risked a look behind him but nothing had changed. The police were having no problem keeping up with him.

He groaned as he made a quick left down an alley way. He had an idea. Probably not a smart one but one that could get him away from this chase. He pushed himself to run faster and get some more distance between them. He jumped over a silver metal trash can and knocked it into the way of the police as he did so.

He could hear by the way their footsteps resided momentarily that he succeeded in slowing them down for only a moment. But that was all he needed. The end of the building had a ladder that he could reach if he jumped high enough.

He ran faster to it then lunged himself forward barely gripping the first step. He swung his legs up to the building to help support him better. He stretched his body out to grab onto the second step then the third. He was eventually able to bring his feet to the first step.

Cas climbed quickly up the ladder, not stopping to look down until he reached the top of the brick two story building. He pulled himself up with aching muscles and allowed himself to catch his breath once more.

His entire face was glowing with heat while exhaustion coursed wildly throughout him. He must've ran over two miles without stopping but the police were always sure to keep up with him.

He swallowed grimly as he looked down the building and watched in horror as one officer managed to lift himself up onto the ladder. He looked around him quickly for a way out.

His heart rate increased as he realized the only option left. He walked over to the edge of the building and watched the man slowly but surely climb his way to Cas. One officer cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Don't do it, kid! You have no way out. Just come surrender."

Cas furrowed his brow thoughtfully. On one hand, prison wasn't looking so bad right now but on the other hand he still had more work to do. He couldn't let it end just like this. He walked backwards while breathing heavily. He could do this.

He took off running with full energy and adrenaline filling his veins. He reached the edge of the building and used one foot to push himself off of it while extending his other leg. The neighboring building was in his reach as he came closer and closer to it.

Everything felt as if it was happening in slow motion. For this one moment, the world stopped spinning. There was only the sound of his quickening breaths and his body gliding through the air.

His world came back to life as soon as he hit the top of the new building with a harsh thud. Cas picked himself up quickly and checked himself over with disbelief. He just did that. And he came out untouched. He was feeling incredible.

Cas slowly walked over to the new buildings edge and checked the side for any ladders. He was thrilled to see that this one didn't have any. The group of police were staring up at him in shock. It made him feel unstoppable.

He offered a quick wave to them before turning around and running at full speed to the next building. He did the same as before but landed almost perfectly on his feet. Cas laughed out loud, incredulously. Then he jumped again onto the fourth building now.

He crouched lowly so he couldn't be seen by anyone from the ground level that passed by. He listened closely to any sounds of footsteps and smiled to himself when he heard none. He rolled onto his back and laid flat out on the roof in his moment of bliss.

The stars were bright in the night sky and the wind was blowing softly on his face. He counted the stars in the sky until he felt his phone vibrating wildly in his pocket.

Cas rolled his eyes but pulled his phone out anyway. The lit up screen displayed a funny picture of Dean that Cas had secretly captured of him. He caught him mid laugh at something Cas had said. His head was thrown back and small little crinkles surrounded his eyes as he squinted them. He loved that he could see a hint of green shining through the slits. Also, his perfect pearl white teeth showed how carefree he was in that moment.

Cas shook his head to himself for gushing silently over Dean while swiping to answer his call. He put the phone up to his hear and whispered, "Hello?"

"Cas! What the hell, dude. I've been calling you for five minutes now," Dean immediately started to scold him.

Cas furrowed his brow and sighed. "I haven't been gone very long," he defended himself. Or has he? It is possible that he may have lost track of time while finding time for peace.

"Yes, you have. You sent Gabe to the hospital," he said with disbelief.

"I sent him a message, Dean. He needs to back off and that was the only way to teach him," Cas explained calmly.

"What are you doing, man? You can't handle this anymore. This needs to stop," Dean begged through the phone. Cas could only imagine how he must be pacing around or chewing on his bottom lip like he usually does when he's worried.

Cas laughed as he sat up. "Stop? You want me to stop helping people? Stop exposing the truth that this campus is trying so hard to hide? I will not. And you haven't seen nothing yet."

"When is it going to stop? When you're dead? In jail? You're hurting your friends now, Cas. Please, end this," he continued to beg.

"I don't have friends. People like me don't have friends. I don't need Gabe and I sure as hell don't need you," Cas said numbly. It felt like he had no control anymore. His mouth was saying things before he had time to think them through but he couldn't stop.

"You may not need me but I know I need you. Please just-," Dean said as Cas ended the call mid-sentence. He couldn't believe what Dean was asking him to do. He never forced him to join him. What he did to Benny was his own doing.

His phone vibrated quickly in his hand indicating a new text message. He swiped to reveal a new message from the campus police. "After a lengthy encounter with the threat to KSU, we are disappointed to announce that the suspect has not been caught. Keep a look out for the marks on the neck and call the anonymous tip hotline if you believe you have spotted him. Classes will return to normal," Cas read softly to himself. He smiled victoriously to himself before shoving his phone back into his pocket.

Cas spotted a ledge at the end of the building's rooftop like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. He strutted over to it before climbing onto it and stepping back down to the ground level. The streets were empty with not even a whisper to keep him company.

But he didn't need anybody. He was fine alone. It's the way things needed to be. He jogged down the street then took all the back roads back to his frat house. He arrived at the quiet house a few moments later.

Cas pushed the ladder, that they kept on the side of the house, to rest in front of his bathroom's window. He climbed up the metal, creaking ladder then slipped into the open window. The shower was still running and hot fog filled the small room. He must've been gone for about an hour now but he was known to take extremely long showers.

He tore off the dark outfit before shoving his head under the running water and soaking his hair. Then, he turned off the water and slipped into a pair of sweatpants he had made sure to bring in earlier. Cas folded a clean towel and wrapped it around his shoulders while making sure to hide his marks.

Cas bent over and piled his alter self's outfit into the backpack he left inside the bathroom. He tossed it over his shoulder then walked out of the bathroom and across the hall to his bedroom. He placed the incriminating bag in front of his door before heading downstairs to see the aftermath of this eventful night.

A few of his brothers were crowded around the dining room table and talking animatedly to one another. Cas smiled widely at Aaron and Garth before sitting down between them casually.

"Are you just now getting out of the shower?" Aaron questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

Cas nodded. "Yeah. I just lost track of time is all," he said shyly.

"Dude, that means you missed what happened," Garth said with excitement. He was practically jumping out of his seat to tell Cas the story.

"What happened? What are you talking about?" Cas feigned innocence as he questioned them.

"Gabe is in the emergency room. That masked guy hit him right in the leg with Raphael's baseball bat. Can you believe that?" Aaron asked incredulously.

Cas' eyebrows shot up when he replayed the events. "What? Is he okay?" he asked them. This time he wasn't acting. He was just really hoping that he didn't do any serious damage to Gabe. Only enough to get him away.

Aaron nodded grimly. "Yeah. I think he said he shattered his tibia. He'll be home tomorrow," he answered.

Cas frowned to himself. He didn't mean to hit Gabe that hard. He only wanted him to go down or to leave him alone. The three of them sat in silence as the information hovered above them like a dark storm cloud.

"Hey, guys. Have you seen Dean? Did he leave?" Cas asked after a few minutes.

Garth shrugged as Aaron nodded. "Yeah but he didn't say much. He did seem pretty upset though."

Cas swallowed down the thick lump forming in his throat. "Oh. Okay. Well, I'm going to get some sleep," he informed them before getting up and walking back upstairs when they muttered their good nights to him.

Cas collapsed on his bed with utter exhaustion. His mind was racing with all things Dean but he couldn't bring himself to hurt his pride. He thought about how he succeeded in his plan of getting Gabe to stop being suspicious of Dean. He didn't expect anything to go this far. But now it was too late.

His phone vibrated on his pillow next to him while his eyes became heavier and heavier by the second. He picked his phone up in his hand but exhaustion took over his body before he could see the text message.

It was a message that was going to change him. An invitation to a house party from none other than Balthazar.


	14. Chapter 14

**Broken**

Cas paced back and forth in front of his bed as he gnawed on his bottom lip. He couldn't believe the text he had received from Balthazar. Of course, his follow up message was him informing him to look his best and they were celebrating another year of Balthazar taking the school's football team to state.

He sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed. When was it exactly that his life went to shit? He was doing just fine before the hurricane known as Dean Winchester came into his life. Or maybe he wasn't and he just didn't want to admit it.

His phone vibrated once more next to him indicating another text coming through. Cas picked up his phone and whispered Deans message softly. "Cas, I may not know what you're going through right now but I know that I want to help. Not help in the vigilante way but in a supporting way. What we are doing is wrong and it needs to stop. There will never be peace when your heart is so full of chaos. Let me help you."

Cas' mouth came down in a tight frown. He couldn't do what Dean was asking him to do. He didn't need help. He needed danger and uncertainty. He swiped out of Deans message then found Balthazar's next. He typed in a quick message saying he'd love to go.

Cas turned his phone off before shoving it deeply into his pants pockets. He took a quick look at his bedside clock seeing that it was late afternoon which meant the party would start in mere hours. He knew what he had to do.

XXX

Cas walked downstairs a few hours later in his nice black button-down shirt that he only wore on rare occasions and a pair of nicely fitted jeans that hugged him in all the right places. He caught a few curious glances thrown his way by some of his brothers. They were probably shocked that this was the first time he dressed up since the new semester started.

Gabe stood by the kitchen counters as he made a sandwich. His leg was completely wrapped up in a black cast while he leaned on crutched for support. Cas felt a wave of guilt hit him in his chest as he looked at his once best friend.

Gabe looked up from his preparation and frowned. "I figured you'd be out with Dean by now," he mumbled, unamused.

Cas tugged nervously at the collar of his shirt. "Uh, actually that's where I'm going now. To Balthazar's party," he said as calmly as he could. He felt heat pooling in his chest at the mention of Balthazar's name. He didn't know it was possible to hate someone so much.

Gabe nodded slowly. "Yeah, I was going to go to that before my leg got broken. You know, I really hope they take that sick son of a bitch down soon or I just might kill him myself."

Cas' jaw dropped slightly as he began to back away to the door. "You don't know what you're saying, Gabe. You're just as blind as the rest of this fucking campus," he spat out angrily as his face flushed red.

Gabe's eyes widened as he searched for words to say but Cas knew he had nothing. He made it to the door and sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry about your leg" he offered solemnly before rushing out the front door.

The sun was beginning to set as he started his walk to Balthazar's fraternity house a mile away. His head raced with different ideas on how he was going to end it all tonight. He was done with being tortured inside his own mind every second of every day.

Ever since that night his life has been nothing but a living hell. Balthazar took a part of him that he will never be able to get back and it left him damaged. He was tired of being the damaged one. Tired of being the broken one or the crazy one. Nothing has been right since that night. Nothing except for Dean.

He was a sliver of hope in this fucking storm called his life. Sometimes people just meet at the wrong times and it doesn't work out. This thing with Dean was never meant to work out. He was a lesson in his life to never let his guard down again because terrible things happen when you do. Like falling in love.

Cas braced himself as he arrived at the significantly larger house. Unwanted flashbacks raced through his mind at the sight of it. He shook off the memories and let himself be swept into the crowd of excited college kids going into the house.

He walked slowly through the threshold and found himself with more memories rising to the surface of that night. He hands started to shake when he saw the familiar couch still in the same place and the staircase to the right of him that led directly to Balthazar's bedroom.

He needed to pull himself together. He was here for one thing and one thing only. To end him. His feet led him to the drink table where he poured himself a cup of beer into his red solo cup. Cas walked back over to the couch and sat slowly down on where he once sat. It felt like a lifetime ago but like yesterday all at the same time. He wasn't sure how to process it anymore.

He watched as all his peers laughed, danced, flirted and enjoyed themselves. He couldn't remember what it was like to be so carefree. He felt so alone here and out of place. These people are who he was only a year ago but someone along the way decided to take it all away from him.

He took his happiness, his patience, his understanding and worst of all, his will to live away. Everything he did and has been doing was just a distraction. Maybe he wasn't helping people after all. Maybe he was just helping himself get through life one day at a time.

A strong hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed firmly. Cas' blood ran cold as his skin began to scream from the touch. He looked up slowly and fought the urge to run far away when he was met with Balthazar smiling down at him.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked him while gesturing to the empty couch cushion next to Cas.

Cas tightened his lips but shook his head. Balthazar continued to smile as he sat down next to him. Cas felt his entire body release tension when Balthazar let go of his grip from him. He smiled politely but looked everywhere except for his face. He just couldn't.

"Now, Cassie, tell me why you've been ignoring all my texts and calls. I've been waiting to see that angelic face of yours and maybe do some reconnecting," his sultry voice took over.

Cas fought the reaction to cringe when Balthazar ran the back of his hand down Cas' face. He continued to stare down at his cup, refusing to look up for even a second. His skin felt like it was on fire from where he had been touched. He wanted to lie in his tub and scrub away the horrible memories for hours.

Instead, he allowed his lips to curl upwards into a cool smile. "I've been busy," he answered with disinterest. He knew that would only make Balthazar angry and have him try what he did that night. Then, he could get him.

"Oh?" Balthazar asked as he scooted closer to Cas. Their thighs were now touching. Cas clenched his fist tightly but remained calm. "And what, or shall I say, who, has kept you so busy?"

"Maybe it's both," Cas replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Balthazar chuckled into Cas' ear. The proximity of them was becoming smaller and smaller with each interaction. His hands were starting to sweat nervously and his stomach churned in anticipation.

Then, the touching was gone. He could feel the tension around him lift as the body next to him got up. Cas chanced a look up and saw Balthazar standing in front of him with one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing his chin. He had the same look as he did that night.

"Sorry, Cassie. We'll pick this up later," he promised him with a sly wink before sauntering off to one of his football friends that Cas knew as Rufus.

Cas furrowed his brow in confusion. He wasn't sure where he went wrong or why Balthazar had just ditched him. This wasn't the way the plan was supposed to go. He frowned as he sat back and watched him from across the room.

Balthazar and Rufus were in a heated whispered discussion about something. Rufus kept pointing to something in the distance but Cas couldn't tell what. Balthazar's eyes tracked over to whatever his friend had been so adamant about. A wide and disturbing smile spread out across his face.

Cas' eyebrows shot up as he realized what was going on. He placed his untouched drink down in front of him on the coffee table next to a dozen other abandoned drinks. He sat up a little straighter and focused in as Balthazar pulled a small baggy from his pocket then handed it to Rufus.

Rufus smiled and patted Balthazar on the back with gratefulness. Cas turned his head and watched as Rufus made his way over to a clearly intoxicated girl. He stopped to grab a drink from a nearby table then slyly poured the contents of the baggy into it.

He walked over to the girl and offered her the drink with a charming smile. The girl hesitated before reaching out slowly and taking the drink. She placed it to her lips and drank at turtle speed. Rufus wrapped his arm around her waist while tipping the drink back into her mouth quickly.

He took the now empty cup from her and tossed it into a nearby trash can. The smile on his face was never wavering because he knew that he had won. This was something he'd done before. Some crappy pop song started blasting causing a few drunk students to go to the makeshift dance floor that the girl and Rufus were currently on.

Rufus slid behind her and started grinding suggestively on her as his hands found their way to her exposed thighs. His hands crept up until they were pulling her skirt up and revealing her underwear. The girl pushed at his hands to get him to stop but she was getting weaker by the moment.

Rufus turned her around before lifting her with ease. Her head drooped over his arms as her eyes fluttered shut. Rufus smiled down predatorily at her as he made his way up the stairs.

Cas could feel his heart beating out of his chest but waited until they were out of sight before he made his move. He stood up quickly and started to walk towards the stairs before a body appeared in front of him.

"Leaving so soon?" Balthazar asked with a smirk.

Cas attempted to walk around him but was once again blocked by the other boy. "I'm just trying to go to the bathroom," he lied impatiently.

Balthazar continued to smirk as he thought his next moves through. "Okay. But after that, come find me," he said as he walked away.

Cas nearly ran up the empty stairs. Anger from everything was building up and building up. He was supposed to execute his plan on Balthazar but taking out one more scumbag before he does wouldn't hurt. He needed to protect other defenseless people from getting hurt.

He pushed open the door next to Balthazar's room and stopped when he saw Rufus starting to climb on top of the girl. Her skirt was now up at her waist but her underwear was still intact. It wasn't too late.

Rufus stopped and shot an angry look over at Cas. "Get the hell out of here, man!" he shouted as he waved his hand at him.

Cas ignored him and instead shut the door behind him. He could feel everything rising to the surface. Everything he had tried for so long to keep bottled away. He was about to explode.

"No, you get the fuck off of her right now," he demanded in a deep growl.

Rufus paused before crawling back off the bed and buttoning his pants up. "What? Are you her boyfriend or something?" he questioned him with a small chuckle.

"No. Think of me as someone who does community service. I take guys like you out. But you're worse than they are. You get away with it because what? You're on the football team? Is that it? How long have you and Balthazar been doing this?" It was Cas' turn to question him. Everything he ever wanted to ask Balthazar was pouring out of his mouth before he had the time to stop and think.

Rufus shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he denied even though his face gave him away.

Cas stepped forward into the lamps light. "I asked how long you've been doing this," he demanded darkly.

Rufus took a step back but remained stoic. "I'm not telling you anything," he said with a smile.

Something inside him snapped. The tiny string that had been holding him together was broken and so was he. He brought a heavy fist down onto Rufus' jaw and smiled when he heard a loud pop.

Rufus fell to the ground like bricks. His hands immediately went to his jaw as he cried out. Cas got on top of him as he laid into him endlessly. Punch after punch. His hands ached and burned as Rufus' face became more and more unrecognizable.

"Why are you doing this?!" Cas shouted. "Are we not fucking human beings to you?" he asked rhetorically throughout his blows. "We will be heard" he continued.

"Please stop," Rufus chocked out as blood poured out of his mouth.

Cas chuckled darkly while he raised his fist once again. A hand from behind him grabbed his throbbing fist before pulling him off of Rufus. Familiar wide green eyes searched into Cas' empty ones. He knew who it was he just couldn't register what was going on at the moment. He just felt like a balloon with no air. It was hard to breathe.

"Cas, stop!" green eyes begged as he grabbed his face with both hands. "This isn't you! Stop!" he continued.

Cas stared at him with no emotion. He watched as Dean freaked out over all the blood and passed out girl on the bed. Suddenly, he was being pulled onto his feet. He felt nothing as he looked down at Rufus who was now also passed out.

Both of his eyes were swollen shut and blood covered most of his face. He should be proud of his work but he felt nothing. He was just hollow inside. It didn't feel like it used to. He didn't get joy out of taking out another rapist. The world had stopped for a moment as he realized he needed to walk away from it all.

Dean kept talking a mile a minute but it fell on deaf ears. He couldn't hear anything, couldn't feel anything and he wasn't even sure who he was anymore. He let Dean walk him out of the room and down the stairs.

Everyone around him was nothing but a blur. People with their whole lives in front of them. His had ended that night. He was just a passenger in his own life with something dark at the steering wheel. He couldn't do it anymore.

Soon enough, he was sitting in Deans passenger seat while staring numbly out in front of him. Slowly, his hearing came back. "Cas, please talk to me," Dean begged him. He could hear how cracked and damaged Deans voice was but he couldn't find it in him to reply.

"I love you," Dean told him as his voice cracked once more. He then started up the impala and drove away.


End file.
